Falling Stars
by CelestiaKnight
Summary: The stars have chosen their new warrior. He represents the dream, the pillar that holds it all together. He is the shield that will defend us all against the nightmare. His is a story implanted in the skies, a tale of old, a legend. It is a story of light and darkness. This is the story of the legendary Star Warrior Meta Knight, of his rise and his fall... Prequel to A New Age
1. Prologue: Morning Star

**Author's note : Hello, everyone! Welcome to** _ **Falling Stars**_ **! This story is basically a prequel to** _ **A New Age**_ **, and will explore the past of our favourite Star Warrior, Meta Knight. If you have read** _ **A New Age**_ **up until now, then it is likely this story will answer questions you may wonder, and if you haven't, keep in mind you don't have to read** _ **A New Age**_ **to understand this one. On that, I hope you will enjoy this new adventure, as I am sure I will enjoy writing it. Have a good read, and a good day!**

* * *

Our Universe is wonderful. Marvellous. Incredibly beautiful.

It is a network of life; connected by countless stars, hidden in silent titans of life-giving gas and wandering invisible, shining paths. The souls living in this world are pure. They are made of light. They are made to receive life and receive love, to live life and live love, to give life and give love.

When given life, these perfect souls appear in their purest forms as children. These children, touched by the stars, are blessed with a perfect heart to match their perfect soul, a heart that beats with great, dormant powers. They sleep deep into their beings, waiting for Time to call for their awakening.

Of course, there cannot be only light. The brighter this world shines, the greater its shadow becomes, and from it, great darkness spawns. The purest the dream, the more corrupted the nightmare is. Nightmare was the name of this darkness. He rose from the shadow of the Universe, and wished nothing but blight on those who lived in the light of the dream.

When given love, the children of the stars stand together. They grow together as one, and as one they become the greatest warriors known to this Universe. They came to be called Star Warriors, and together, the first of them founded a great Force, a great Army to protect the light. To the people of the Universe, they became a beacon of hope, the pillars who would uphold the dream and support the light.

For ages, the Star Warriors and the nightmares fought in an endless battle, an endless loop of blood and sacrifices. Both sides grew exponentially; the warriors' forces became known as the Galaxy Soldier Army, and Nightmare's creations became products of a company known as Holy Nightmare Corporation. While the stars chose their fighters with care and time, Nightmare created his pawns in mass, sending them across the Universe to spread the seed of darkness in distant, isolated worlds, corrupting them from the core. It was a race against time. More and more non-Star Warriors joined the Galaxy Soldier Army, reinforcing their ranks and pushing Nightmare's darkness away from their homes.

Among all of the species of the Universe, one was considered by many as the purest of them all. Said to be made of stardust and ancient magic, their powers were unmatched in many ways. With stomachs consisting of black voids, their wisdom and power seemed as endless as the Universes inside them. They went by the name Kiridan. One should not judge them by mere appearences, for Kiridans, despite their small, round forms, were unsurpassed in bravery and strength. They gave many Star Warriors to the cause, each stronger and braver than the last, reaching to new heights in the fight against Nightmare. With the Kiridans by their side, the Galaxy Soldiers saw the light shine brighter…

One day, a tale came to be among the army's ranks. A tale of hope. A warrior, unlike any other, with the powers of a god, would rise among them. This warrior from the stars would face Nightmare and succeed where all else had failed; he would bring peace to the Universe by ending the nightmare and preserving the dream. This tale came to be called the Tale of the Last Hope, and people grew to believe it as truth. They believed that this warrior would be born from pure Kiridan blood, and would surpass all other Kiridan warriors before them in everything. Eventually, this tale came to Nightmare himself, and the Lord of Darkness entered a terrible fury.

Kiridans became his greatest nemesis, pests that invaded his plans and dared to defy him. Many planets were targeted, and the most terrible genocide known to the Kiridan kind took place. This was the darkest age known to all. Men, women, children. No one was spared from the Nightmare's great anger. Few were the survivors of this terrible time. Only a few handfuls of families lived and escaped, protected by the Galaxy Soldier Army, hidden on faraway worlds, far from Nightmare's reach. What was once great had now been reduced to silence. Hope had yet to rise…

But the dream still held on, as tightly as it could, for the light never stops shining. For without light, there cannot be darkness. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.

* * *

The village of Moonshine Hollow was, as per usual, quiet. Tonight, the small community was blessed by a bright full moon, shining down on the pool of crystal clear water of the creek they lived in. The lake was glowing like a new moon imprinted in the Hollow, the very natural event that gave the village it's notorious name, but tonight, it felt very different.

The whole village was awake. Regrouped on the shore of the lake, the villagers were praying to the stars in unison, in silence. For hours on end, they waited, on and on, until the sky above them brightened. When the stars twinkled away from the light of the coming day, when dawn broke over the horizon and the first rays of the rising sun touched the walls of the Hollow, screams of pain echoed in the village, breaking the silent prayer.

Kiridans of all ages joined as a mass in front of the Elder's dome house, whispering among each other and flinching at every wail and moan of pain. Excited yet worried, they waited, but none was as worried and concerned as the blue-skinned man pacing around in front of the door, a thick ball of nerves ready to burst. It was his first child.

"Why can't I just go in there?!" he asked to no one in particular, turning on his heels and pacing some more. "I should be with her, damnit…!"

"For the last time," his sister-in-law said with an exasperated sigh, "you can't go in. Calm down, you'll have a heart attack before she's done!"

"This is stupid!" he groaned angrily, turning his bright green eyes to her. "Whoever thought of that tradition is just a stupid ass-"

A tap on his shoulder made him spin around in one swift move, heart suddenly pounding in his chest. Dawn had officially broken over the horizon up above. The night was over.

The Elder was an old Kiridan; the oldest of this community. Seeing her old, parchment-like skin stretched into a smile – the strangest, most hope-filled smile he had ever seen – was a calming balm that reached deep into his heart and allowed him to breathe normally once more. In his anger, he had failed to hear… inside the house… small cries… the high-pitched cries of a newborn child…

The Elder lifted her old, wrinkled hands and took his own in her old fingers; he could feel a strange eagerness in her bones, an excitement like no other. Her serene eyes were shining with tears, tears she could not hold in.

"Azure," she said calmly. "Your son is blessed by the stars. He is the one we have been waiting for. Our Last Hope."

Dumbfounded, Azure let go of her hands and stepped back, heart rate picking up. The… last hope? Like in the stories? His son? Before he could find the words to express what he felt, the Elder lifted her hands to the opening of the Hollow, to the brightening skies and the morning star above, and, beating her old yet beautiful feathery wings, she called to the crowd, as if possessed by a greater force; a force that quickly took over all.

"The night will end, my children! The nightmare will soon be over, and we will be freed from our shackles! Sing with me, my children! Sing, for dawn will come and the stars will pave a new path for us! Sing with me!"

The crowd exploded with enthusiastic shouts and exclamations of joy, calls that soon became one, united voice as they began chanting a prayer in the old Kiri tongue. This voice echoed and reverberated in the Hollow, reaching deep into the waters of the lake and far into the waking skies like one, gigantic instrument. Azure's only concern, however, was to see his wife and son. Quickly glancing toward his wife's sister, she gestured the house with waves of her hand before joining the village into the singing. Azure quickly pushed the silky curtains that blocked the doorway and disappeared into the surprisingly quiet house.

The first and main room was occupied by three persons; the doctor, who was preparing and cleaning some equipment, and a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, who were cleaning clothes in buckets of water. They all turned to him, and the doctor smiled.

"She's in the room at the back," she said kindly. "You may go see them, but do be quiet. She is very tired."

"She lost a lotta blood," the little girl said as she dipped a sleeve in the water to rinse.

"But they're both very strong," the little boy finished in the same tone of playfulness.

"Go see! Go see!" they called in synch, waving their stubs of arms toward the back of the room.

Feeling a sudden wave of worry for his one and only, Azure sped through the room without a word and went through two other dome rooms to reach the bedroom at the back of the house. Though the room smelled of blood and fatigue, it also smelled of victory and life.

There she was, on the small bed, completely depleted and pale, with a bundle of covers in her arms. Quickly, Azure sped up to her and knelt at her side, his breath caught in his throat at such a sight. He should have been here with her! He shouldn't have followed those damned traditions! Carefully, he lightly brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, surprised at how warm she was compared to how white her purple skin was, and she responded by opening her tired, silvery eyes. At that moment, the smile she offered him was truly the most beautiful one he had ever set his eyes upon. The happiness, the warmth, the tiredness… She was so beautiful…

"You look awful, Az," she whispered with an amused smirk. "I told you not to stress yourself out over this…"

"You know me," he chuckled lightly. "Can't help worrying about you… You look so beautiful, Kia…"

Her smiled warmed even more, and her cheeks retrieved a little bit of colour at the compliment. She looked down at the bundle of covers in her arms and giggled.

"I know someone who's even more beautiful…"

Kia lightly moved a fold of the covers, revealing the precious little treasure hidden underneath in its warming cocoon. It was so… tiny. So puny and fragile, so new to this world… Azure couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Surprisingly, the baby's eyes were already open. Wide, tall and curious, they were of the purest white that had ever existed, as if the light of all the stars in the skies had merged with this child, seeping out of his pure, shining eyes. These glowing moons looked from his mother to his father, and as he mumbled adorable little noises, the child seemed at ease with them. These eyes shone with so much life and love…

Despite the purity of his eyes, his skin had received its colour from his father, a blue so dark one could barely see the child's mouth, with ridiculously tiny, purple feet, like the skin of his mother. The more he looked at him, the more things Azure saw… until he looked at his hands. His small stubs of hands were holding something… Kia saw where his confused gaze was directed at and her smile became odd, as if saddened.

"The Elder," she started, making him look at her. "She called it a Warp Star. Do you remember the stories about these objects? You know… what it means…"

In silence, he nodded. He knew, oh yes he knew what that meant. Not only was he a Star Warrior, a child of the stars, but that Warp Star showed to all that he had great powers, powers so immense that… they could free them all from the nightmare. This child was holding that proof in his tiny hands; a five-branched star, silver in colour. It looked like a stone of some sort, but when Azure touched it, it was warm like a living thing, like a heart was beating under its smooth surface. When the child looked at it, as if only now acknowledging that it was there, it started glowing, softly. The tiny blue child only held on to it tighter and smiled, laughing his very first laugh, one that made his proud parents so happy. Kia gently nuzzled him before looking up at Azure.

"Take him."

"Wha-"

"Go on. Just hold him, like this."

Azure, a man who's never held a child in thirty thousand years of living, found himself at a loss for what to do when his wife held up his child toward him. Despite it all, it didn't stop him and he certainly did not refuse. Careful, with his arms bending in odd positions to try and find the right way to hold him, Azure gently took the small treasure in his hands and cradled him. At first, it felt very strange and new, but the more he held him, the more comfortable they both got. His hold was very gentle yet firm, as if he was afraid the little thing would break if he held him too hard by accident. They were both staring at each other, each implanting the other's traits in their memory, and Azure couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kia smiled tiredly.

"Nothing," he answered with a chuckle, slightly rocking his body from left to right, keeping the baby calm. "I just… I just never thought it would be like this… Never thought it would… feel like this…"

With his free hand, Azure rubbed a few tears off his eyes before they even fell.

"I'm so happy…"

One could hardly guess how happy this man was except for one; his wife. She knew how excited he had been at the thought of being a father; and now that day had arrived at last.

At that moment, the doctor walked back into the room, carrying new clothes and followed by the two little twins, who were carrying a bucket of clear water.

"They sure are enthusiastic out there," she commented with a laugh as she set the clothes on a nearby table. "How is the baby looking?"

"Lively," Azure answered, gently holding his son's little paw in his fingers, making the baby babble happily.

"Can we… take him outside to show everyone?" Kia asked tiredly, slowly blinking.

"Well, he can," the doctor told her gesturing toward her husband, "but I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for a while. Don't worry, it's just a precaution. Because there were complications, I need to make sure you'll recover without any problems. I'm sure you understand."

The lady turned to Azure and nodded her head.

"If the baby is okay, then I see no reason to object to taking him outside for now. Just keep him warm, and bring him back to his mother as soon as possible. Alright?"

The hunter agreed, though he clearly hesitated; he was actually reluctant to show his fragile son to this band of chanting villagers; as nice as they were, as gentle as they could be, they were also… unpredictable. As all Kiridans were, actually. With a sigh, Azure silently agreed that showing them his baby would at least shut them up for now and would allow said baby to at least get some sleep. He stepped closer to the bed and gave a light, loving kiss to his wife, who smiled and kissed him right back.

"So," she said, "since it's a boy, we agree on that name? It's quite fitting, don't you think?"

He nodded his head.

"It's the perfect name for him… I'll bring him right back, don't worry. I love you…"

"I love you too, Az…"

With one last squeeze of her hand, Azure carefully held on to his son and exited the room, just hearing the doctor say to the children:

"Alright you two, help me out here."

"Okay Mama!"

The hunter went through the two other rooms, heart palpitating. His son was looking up at him still, with his wide and curious eyes, ready to see this world, and when the father finally crossed the curtain of silk that served as the door, they were welcomed by cheers. They were loud, there were questions, people all surrounding the door, begging to see their young hero, but the baby obviously didn't like the noise suddenly assaulting him and clung to his father, crying out in fear. Azure held on to him in a sudden distress and glared disapprovingly at the villagers until they finally understood he wanted silence, and they waved each other into quietness. When they were finally quiet and calm, Azure sighed in exasperation and cradled his son.

"Sweet Nova guys, you all need to calm the fuck down," he told them, making a few laugh.

His sister-in-law walked forward, lightly shuffling her large bird wings to push people out of her way. Her son was clinging to her back, curiously looking over from her side.

"Let me look at this cutie-pie!" she said excitedly, pushing her way over to him.

Azure tried to loosen his hold on his baby to allow her and the others around them to see, but still his son was clinging to him, refusing to let go. The small thing looked up at his aunt, and she appeared very surprised to see his eyes.

"Wow…," she marvelled, lifting a hand to her mouth in awe. "He looks so precious… Oh, Galacta, look! It's your new little cousin."

She lifted her curious little boy in her arms, allowing him to look down at the frail little thing in his uncle's arms. The two toddlers stared at each other, both driven by simple curiosity. The baby smiled and waved an arm incoherently, babbling nonsense at his older cousin, who appeared very intrigued by this little thing.

"…What's his name?" was all the magenta-coloured little boy asked.

Everyone looked up at Azure, awaiting his response, and the new father only smiled.

"Meta. His name is Meta."

And as Moonshine Hollow celebrated the birth of this young Star Warrior, the morning star shone even brighter in the sky, predicting the darkness to come.

The brighter the dream, the darker the nightmare…


	2. The First Nightmare

**Author's note : And we have chapter two finally! This one took me a while for some reason, but I should pick up the pace soon! I don't have much to say, so enjoy the read and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts, even if it's just a word or to say hello! ^_^ Have a good day!**

* * *

A painting. A giant, unfinished painting, upon which anyone could imagine whatever they wanted and see whatever they wanted. If you wanted to see a turtle or a cat, the clouds would paint it for you. It was as easy as that! So, the sky was a canvas, filled with blue paint. He loved the colours this canvas took, especially at sunset when night was coming. At that time, the painter of the sky would unleash their creativity and apply so many colours on their canvas, so much in fact that at night, it would get completely dark. And so, the painter of the sky would start to fill it up with white little dots of paint; thousands of stars that fascinated him with their distant glow, along with splotches of many colours as far away galaxies and the neighbouring nebulas.

Right now, the sky was blue, with barely a few clouds passing by. Laid on his back, he hadn't moved from there in hours and he wasn't feeling like standing up to go do something else either. Actually, he wasn't even thinking about anything else. The sky was just so beautiful… He could stare at it and wonder for ages without any worry…

"Hoy! Meta!"

Meta was an odd child. Odd, yet loveable. Odd, yet kind. There was something in his behaviour, in the way he looked at people, that struck everyone as odd and strange. Reclusive, quiet, he often strayed off by himself to explore the world, much to his parents' dismay. Sometimes, he would just leave in the morning without thinking of telling anyone of where he was going, but he would always come back; even though in the meantime, his father had probably ran across the town and the neighbouring hills a hundred times looking for him. Meta was like that. He would just vanish without a trace, and act like nothing happened. It had been going on for years, and people were getting used to it.

"There you are!"

Despite his silence and his vanishing habits, Meta was loved. The townsfolk at first saw him as their saviour, but they soon realized that he was still but a child, and as he slowly grew into a walking toddler that mingled with the other kids, they eventually saw him as what he was; a child. An odd child, but a child nonetheless.

To preserve his childhood and keep his happiness intact, his and the other children of the town, the townsfolk had agreed to wait a certain age before telling them of the war that tore away at the Universe. Meta especially was not to be told anything about Nightmare, the Galaxy Soldier Army, Star Warriors or demon-beasts. Not yet, at least. Not before he was old enough to understand. He was, after all, still a child.

"Hey, whatchu looking at?"

Meta blinked out of his reverie. He turned his head to the side and looked at his cousins Galacta and his younger sister, Ada. They both looked very much alike; the elder was a bright magenta, while the younger appeared even darker, almost like wine. Meta looked at his older cousin, white eyes widely opened.

"I'm looking at the clouds," he answered simply.

"You're always up in the clouds," his cousin answered back with a snort, while his little sister, who had yet to learn how to speak, raised her head to see what Meta was looking at so intently. "We're going to the abandoned temple near the forest! The guys are already waiting there, wanna come?"

"I don't know…"

The thought of venturing in an old, abandoned building didn't necessarily appeal to him, but when his little cousin hopped toward him and took his hand to pull him up, he wasn't so sure anymore. She really did like him a lot, after all, and he usually liked to go on adventures with her. But this temple… It scared him.

"Aw, come on!" Galacta pleaded. "Ada really wanted you to come play with her. It's a pretty spooky place over there, you know! She's gonna be scared! You don't want her to be scared by herself, right?"

"No…"

"Then come on! It's gonna be fun!"

"Fun!" Ada repeated with joy, playfully pulling Meta along with her down the small hill he had been on.

And so, despite his previous refusal, Meta was still taken on this little adventure, even though it was already late in the afternoon. It was just for today, he told himself. What could go wrong?

Apparently, everything could.

* * *

They came back only late at night, when the sky was black and the moon was high. The town's lights were starting to close, and only the moonlight allowed the children to see where they were going. There were six of them, from three different families. Hastily, they approached the great eye-like hole that marked the town's main aspect and began descending down the stairs built into the walls. They spiralled in a circular motion all across the perimeter of the great cavern of Moonshine Hollow, lit only by a few torches along the wall. They ran past an old Kiridan man, whose sole job was to unlit the torches for the night. The children playfully called him The Light Man. He looked at the young people as they ran down the stairs, calling to them:

"Your parents were lookin' for you lads. Be careful on yer way down."

And The Light Man resumed climbing, shaking his head in both amusement and disapproval. Over the years, Kiridan parents had become so over-protective of their young, they forgot how to let them live… although… the skies were rather dark tonight… It was best to tuck in early.

When the six young children arrived at the bottom of the stairs, each of them ran in different directions, calling short good-byes to each other. As they ran on the paved road toward their home, Galacta held his little sister on his head, angrily groaning toward his cousin:

"Your dad is gonna kill us when we get back. It's all your fault, freak! Why'd you have to go and run off like that?!"

Self-conscious, Meta looked down as he ran, almost stumbling over his short purple feet. He didn't answer. He _had_ no answer. It just happened. He wasn't even sure _what_ had happened over there… Soon enough, their home was in sight. While most Kiridan houses were rather medium sized, round domes built against and inside the walls of the cavern like big bird nests, their home was different. Being one of the most prestigious and large families of Khazta Star, the Khano family all lived together in a large mansion built into the wall. Consisting of many domes of rock and wood all built on top of each other in an orderly and stylized way, with glass windows and balconies on every story of the house, this mansion was certainly the most impressive Kiridan work of Moonshine Hollow. However, right now, Meta was scared to approach his home. His father could be very scary when he was angry. _Very_ scary. It didn't happen often, but when it did… It was better not to be in his way.

When they walked up to the door, the house was strangely silent, much to their relief. Maybe they wouldn't hear so much… However, when Meta opened the door and the three of them walked inside, they were proved wrong. At first, the main hall was quiet. The lights were still lit, they could easily just walk up to their rooms and shut in for the night… but they had taken but a few steps when Meta's mother ran in from a side door. Upon setting her gaze on them, she gasped out in both surprise and sudden relief. Without another warning, she ran over to them, calling out:

"Meta! Galacta! Ada! There you are!"

She quickly grabbed them into her arms in a tight embrace, one that shook them up with surprise, murmuring about how worried she had been. However, she quickly stepped back, placing her hands on her hips in that particular way that told them they were in trouble. Her loving gaze became burning ice.

"Where in Nova's name have you been?! Your fathers have been out for hours looking for you three!"

Meta couldn't look at her. He hated seeing his mother angry, especially at him, for something he had had no control over. It was Galacta who answered.

"We were!... at the temple…"

Kia's eyes widened.

"In the forest?! I thought I told you thousands of times _not_ to go there! It's dangerous, the ceiling could fall down and you could all get trapped, even worse, injured!"

"I know, Aunt Kia, but-"

"And why did you not listen to me? Mh?"

"We wanted to have fun! Nothing bad happened, everyone's back!"

"And Ada! Something could have happened to her, did you think about this?!" she continued, grabbing the little, tired girl in her arms to cradle her. "If nothing happened, then _why_ are you so late?"

Galacta immediately pointed at Meta, who refused to look up at his mother.

"It was him! We were ready to come back for dinner but he just ran off out of a window! We ran after him to get him back but he just vanished! It was totally weird! He even left Ada alone!"

Confused by this tale, Kia turned toward her son, who still hadn't uttered a single word.

"Meta, is that true?"

He didn't move, nor did he say anything. Taking another way of approaching her odd little boy, Kia kneeled down to his level and took on a more worried yet kind look, adopting a soft tone of voice.

"Meta, please tell me. Is Galacta telling the truth?"

Silent, Meta finally nodded his head. At this moment, the entrance door opened again, but this time it was to both of the boys' fathers, Azure, and his brother-in-law Ano. They looked like they were about to call out some colourful words to them, but Kia quickly stopped them with a wave of her hand, gesturing them to come over instead. She turned back to her son and shook her head.

"Meta, why did you jump out of that window?"

When, again, he gave no answer, she turned to Galacta and asked:

"Where did you find him?"

"Deep in the woods," the magenta boy answered. "He was just staring at a weird statue thing that I've never seen before. I've never went this far in there, so it took us a while to find our way back."

As if she knew what he was talking about, Kia didn't say anything. Instead, she gave a small sigh, and stood back up. Galacta's father walked forward and took Ada from her arms, saying:

"Alright, we'll deal with this tomorrow. It's late enough as it is. Now, you're going to go and apologize to your mom, young man! You had her very worried!"

"Yes, Papa…"

Galacta and Ada both left the main hall with their father, leaving Meta alone with his parents. Azure walked up behind his son and placed a hand on his head, saying to his wife:

"Go tell your parents they're safe, I'll take him to bed."

Giving him a nod, Kia still knelt back down again before leaving and gave her son a much relieved hug, one he gave back without hesitating. When she left, Azure held out his hand, and Meta silently slid his own in his bigger palm, agreeing to follow him upstairs. The walk up to the third story was in complete silence. Azure was surprised, to say the least. He had been angry before that his son would run off like that, but his silence now worried him more than anything. What did happen out there? He feared that even if he asked him, Meta wouldn't have anything to respond.

Finally, they arrived to the boy's room. It was a rather large, circular dome chamber, with a lot of furniture inside. There were decorations that lit up in the dark, some shaped in stars and planets, others that hung from the ceiling above the single bed, while doodles and children's drawings filled the walls and floor. A library shelf contained a few books that Meta could not read and that his parents used to lull him to sleep sometimes, and his bed was placed sideways against the large panel windows that allowed a good view of the town below. A door on the right wall lead to a small bathroom.

Azure opened the light on the bedside table before picking his son from the ground and putting him on his bed. He headed to the bathroom, took a small towel that he passed under the water before coming back. Meta hadn't moved from his spot, hadn't lifted his eyes… Was he that scared of being reprimended? Azure wasn't the type to have installed that kind of fear in his child, at least not to his knowledge. No matter how angry he could get with his atrocious hot temper, Azure never lifted a hand on his child. He was too precious. Then why was Meta so… quiet? The father began gently cleaning the dust and dirt off of Meta's face with the towel, thinking that the bath would have to wait until tomorrow. As he did, he looked at his young face, concerned.

"What did you see, Meta?" he asked with a soft voice, quietly.

Again, his child looked to the side, his mouth shut tight. Azure leaned in a bit closer and murmured.

"You have no need to be scared, son. There is nothing to be afraid of, trust me. Here, take this…"

Reaching over to his bedside table, Azure opened the drawer and took out a blue, square little box, which he opened to Meta's Warp Star. The stone shone brightly when the child set his eyes on it, and Azure took it out to give it to him, knowing that that would make him feel a lot better. As thought, Meta clung to the star and hugged it in his arms, making Az smile as he continued to clean his face and arms. After a moment of silence, Az was done, and prepared to put Meta under his covers, but the boy finally looked up at him.

"Papa…?"

"Yes, Meta?"

"Who is Nightmare?"

Taken aback by the question, Azure took a moment to think of an answer. His heart started beating in his ears at the sudden question.

"A… nightmare, son, is a bad dream. It's when you dream of something scary, or upsetting."

The boy shook his head.

"No, not a thing… A person…"

Azure was confused, yet fear slowly gripped at his insides. His words came out in a slight stutter.

"There is no one called like that, Meta. Don't worry about this, okay?"

Meta nodded his head slowly, hugging his star close as his father drew the covers over him.

"Can I have the blue lights…?" the boy asked in a small voice, to which Azure smiled and answered:

"Of course."

Despite a certain shakiness in his hands, Azure quickly flipped the bedside lamp off and turned on the round lamp hanging from the ceiling. In this lamp were star-shaped small holes, and when the light was lit inside, a soft blue glow pierced through the holes and onto the walls and ceiling of the dome, creating something close to an observatory. The holes and dots in the lamp were placed specifically to ressemble known constellations in Khazta Star's skies; a result of Meta developping a fascination about the night sky as he grew, something Kia had taken into notice before making this lamp with her sister. When the lamp was turned on, the child's shining gaze filled with thousands of stars and wonder, causing Azure to smile once more. The elder leaned down toward his son and nuzzled his cute face, making the child giggle.

"Dream sweet dreams, Meta," he wished upon him before planting a caring kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, son."

"Goodnight, Papa…"

With a smile still, Azure silently walked out of the room, but when he closed the door, the man lost his composure. Silently, slowly, he leaned his back against it, still holding onto the handle. His heart was beating so fast in his chest, it made his head feel dizzy. He hadn't eaten at dinner; he had been too busy worrying and looking for his misplaced son and nephew, but now he was starting to regret it. Meta's words echoed still in his head. The nightmare… A person… Should he tell the Elder about it? Should he have told Meta the truth…? He was too young… He couldn't lose everything yet… not yet…

 _"Someday, you're going to have to tell him about it. About it all. If you won't do it, I will."_

Those words, a childhood friend of his had spoken them, a few years after Meta's arrival in their world. Of course, the Galaxy Soldier Army knew of his existence. They knew everything… and they were watching… One day, they would come to get him… But Meta was too young… He couldn't be tainted… Not yet…

With a heavy sigh, Azure left the door behind and quickly made his way to the first floor. There, in the living room, he rejoined with his wife and her parents, Meta's grand-parents, Adel and Mio. When he walked in, they all stared at him, and Adel spoke:

"Ah, there he is. Is the boy asleep already?"

But his silence immediately spoke to Kia, who stood from her seat with a worried look about her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Quiet, Azure walked up to her and raised a both concerned and saddened gaze at her. He sighed.

"He… He asked me about the nightmare."

Kia's own gaze grew from concerned to alarmed, and Az continued:

"I told him… it was just a bad dream, you know, I… I can't tell him right now…"

"But…"

"Where did he hear about this?" Kia's father spoke up in a harsh voice. "I thought no one was allowed to speak of this to any of the children!"

"I don't know, but he doesn't know who Nightmare is yet, and that's good enough," Azure answered tiredly. "He must have heard some of Galacta's friends talk about nightmares and, I don't know, maybe thought it was a name instead of a concept…" He sighed again and raised a hand to his forehead to rub between his eyes. "Look, tomorrow I'll go take a look at the temple with Ano, maybe we'll find where he ran off to. I don't know these woods too well..."

Kia looked down a moment before finally saying:

"There is a Kabu in the woods."

Az looked up at her.

"A sanctuary? Really? Why did no one tell me that?"

"It's been destroyed for ages," Adel said, saddened. "It can't tell the future from the past and it just speaks nonsense most of the time. It's become but an empty husk of memories now…"

Azure looked a bit to the side, thinking. If Meta had stumbled upon this broken Kabu sanctuary, could it be that it had spoken too much…? It wasn't tied to the rules of the town concerning the nightmare, so it might have spoken out of bounds. Who knew what other words and concepts Meta had heard from it… that is, _if_ he had really found it. When he looked up, Azure saw that Kia was standing just in front of him. She was smiling, kindly, as usual.

"Don't worry about it," she said, taking his hands in hers. "He'll talk about it when he'll feel better. Right now, come on, I can hear your belly rumbling."

"Ugh, I'm starving," he said with a chuckle as he followed her toward the kitchen, still holding her hand.

"I know someone else who's gonna be starving tomorrow," she laughed.

* * *

This world was a strange one. It was unlike anything he had ever seen, unlike all he held dear and unlike all he knew in this life. It was… strange. Strange was the word. However, despite its oddity, it was a world he loved. He never hated. He couldn't hate. It existed, therefore it deserved love. He didn't know what this was, neither how he could call it. It was like all the lights had closed, but there was no night sky to light it. It was like he was closing his eyes very tightly, so tightly not even the sun could pierce them. What was this? What… word… had he heard… Was this what his father called a 'nightmare'? He wasn't feeling upset, or scared… Then what was it?

There was someone here with him.

But that someone wasn't aware he was here.

They were sitting there, in this black whatever-it-was-called, almost floating in nothing.

Nothing… Maybe this is what this black place was. Nothing. Just nothing, with them both here. Maybe that person just wanted to talk? Maybe they could be friends!

But… when he stepped closer to the lone person, they vanished, and he was suddenly alone. Whatever this place was, anything that made it serene before now made it scary. Terribly scary, to the point he found himself shaking. What… was happening? He was… afraid… but of what? What was there? What was this place? Why did it feel so aggressive?

Something gripped his heart; something burned in his mind; something made him want to run; something froze him in place. The grip on him was tight, and it felt like claws were ripping through his flesh, ripping through his being and tearing him to pieces. And he couldn't move. He was frozen in place, terrified, and _he never knew why._

A voice echoed.

Raspy, broken.

Deep, horrible.

Terrible, _nightmarish_.

"This… is the one…"

He shook in terror, and suddenly, he was staring at it. This… This… _darkness_ …

"The one prophesied by the stars."

He was staring at it, and he couldn't look away, he couldn't see it, couldn't run away from it. He felt… tiny. Puny, useless.

"Their so-called 'Last Hope'."

The voice chuckled a terrible laugh, one that rattled through his spirit and shook his mind in unseen ways.

"What is this? Have you never experienced a bad dream, boy?"

The presence came closer, and he cried.

"Have you never experienced a nightmare?"

It closed in. He couldn't breathe.

"A most terrible nightmare… Mmh… Let's see… What is your biggest fear, boy…"

His eyes closed tightly. He wanted out! He didn't want to have a nightmare! He didn't want to be here! Please, someone, _anybody_ , get him out of here!

And a sudden light, blinding both him and the thing before him, scaring it away into the nothing it called a home. And he was left alone, once more.

* * *

Reality came onto him like thunder striking the earth in a fit of anger. It dragged him out of his body, scrapping his mind on the broken shards of what purity once was his. It dragged and beat him up in all possible directions, and he was lost and alone and everything hurt just _so badly_.

"Meta? Meta!"

He flailed his arms around and kicked his feet, biting and scratching, anything to get this terrible thing away from him.

"Meta! Calm down, it's okay! It's over honey, please calm down!"

Something warm held him in place, and the fear dissipated. The black nothing that crept and clung to his mind recoiled away, and he was able to open his eyes. He was in his mother's arms, crying his fear away. His throat hurt really badly… In fact, everything hurt badly inside him. If this is what a nightmare did to you, he didn't want to have one ever again… His mother's hand rubbed his back tenderly and lovingly, cradling him kindly and speaking words of love.

"Ssshh, it's okay… No more tears, Meta… It's over… There…"

He clung to her, crying it all away from him, and the fear changed to pure relief. It was over… It was over…

"Sssh… No more tears…"

No more tears…

After what seemed like ages spent in his mother's warm, cradling arms, he looked up from her embrace with large and teary eyes.

"Mama… can I sleep with you and Papa tonight…? Please…? I don't want to be alone…"

He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to ever feel so alone again. A part of him enjoyed being by himself most of the time, but another absolutely _feared_ being _alone_. Just… alone. With no one else to be with, no one else to hold on to when afraid. It was the first time he experienced this kind of loneliness, this _fear_ , and it scarred him. His mother hugged him and kissed him on the forehead.

"Of course, honey, of course… Come here, my sweet, sweet baby…"

She gently picked her son from the bed, and Meta closed his eyes against her, arms still wrapped around her, clinging like a bat. He was still holding on tightly to his glowing star, which he had never let go of. When they left his room behind, they passed by many people, cousins, aunts, uncles, each woken up by the screams of a scared child.

"Is he okay?" someone asked his mother, to which she answered with a slight nod.

"It was just a bad dream. He'll sleep with us tonight."

"Poor child…"

"I thought Star Warriors didn't have nightmares…"

"Shh! Don't say that word!"

Star… Warrior… Nightmares… Darkness…

And as they left the rest of the family behind to get back to sleep in the comfort of the parent's bed, Meta failed to see his older cousin Galacta, peeking in from a corner of the corridor, silent.

Star Warriors didn't have nightmares. Especially not if they were the supposed Last Hope.


	3. The Fallen Kabu Whispers

**Author's note: I don't know how I feel about this chapter, but hey, it's here! I'm not making any promises as I seem to be fluctuating between being really fast and really slow, but next chapter shouldn't take as long. Hope you all like this one! A bit of a filler I feel, but it gets things to kick off without too much of a blast in the beginning. Don't forget to leave a review on the way! Thank you for reading!**

* * *

When dawn broke over the horizon and the first rays of the sun touched the eye of the Hollow, three Kiridans exited the Khano manor, in the quietness of the early morning. Azure, his brother-in-law Ano and his son, Galacta, all walked in silence toward the stairs that lined the walls. Galacta was still half-asleep, but he had been the one to come to the adults as they prepared to leave to say he wanted to come with them, so he couldn't complain. Although Ano didn't agree, Azure managed to change his mind by saying that Galacta did, after all, know what had happened and where Meta had gone. They could understand the events in the temple better with him.

On their way up the stairs, Galacta, when asked by his father, told how Meta had seemed the previous day.

"He was pretty weird yesterday," he said with a slowly awakening voice. "Usually he wants to play with us when we ask, but he didn't want to. Only reason he came is because I kinda told him Ada would feel alone… Other than that, he was quieter than usual."

"Did he say anything odd before the window incident?" Azure asked, casting a short glance behind at him.

Galacta shook his head.

"Not really. I don't really know what was wrong with him…"

The rest of the walk was in silence, and when they arrived at the top of the stairs, the rising sun could be seen in its earliest and most beautiful stages. The sky was painted with warm colours, a mix of purple, orange and yellowing reds, all mixing and blending together further as the sun cast its rays on the great plains and hills that made up the world above the Hollow. Galacta loved to come out here; big open spaces like these simply called to be explored and seen, and he was glad he was able to spend most of his days here. Today looked like it would be another sunny day, and for a moment, the young boy wondered what he would do today after school… before thinking about his cousin again.

The trio traversed the plains, and as they headed toward the woods in the distance, Galacta thought back to last night. Unlike all the other kids in his generation, he had been old enough to remember when Meta was born. He, unlike everyone else, knew what he was. As such, he had had to promise not to speak of this to anyone, or mention anything that might be related to Meta's role in the future. He knew what Star Warriors were; and he knew Star Warriors never had nightmares…

Thoughtful, the startled child looked up when a flock of birds flew off from the high grass of the plain. They flew off into the sky, and for a moment, Galacta looked at them, a distant dream vanishing into the depths of his soul, for now…

Eventually, the three of them reached the woods the children had gone into the day before, and followed a beaten path far into its misty depths. The forest was silent; only the distant call of a bird could be heard, and the whispers of the trees above their heads filled their ears with a thousand tales of old. Galacta loved to walk in the woods, but the memories of the day before still came back to mind now that he was here again today.

Normally, this path lead to the road toward the closest neighbouring town, but they took a sudden left and left the path off into a more wooded area. Eventually, through lively patches of leaves, bushes, fungi and vegetation, they arrived at the abandoned temple. A long time ago, this church was used by the first inhabitants of this world, but when they vanished and the Kiridans came to hide here, their old buildings had been left to rot, so no one truly knew what they used this church for. The temple, whose roof was pointy in three towers like a chapel, was barely holding together. There were no doors, the windows were broken and shattered, and the bricks of the walls looked ready to fall over with all of the supporting structure with them. Still feeling salty that the children had gone inside this place without asking them, the two parents, followed by the child, went in, worriedly watching the roof of the temple as they did.

Inside, the temple was barren. All the furniture that was once here had rotten away or was over-taken by ivy and vines, filling the main hall of the temple in a strange, almost welcoming haze of glowing insects and spores, an inside vivarium, with its own, personal biome. The lights of the rising sun, piercing in from the broken windows and the remaining tainted glass windows gave the room a mystifying glow, almost as if the temple itself was just about waking up with the rest of the world.

It was quite mesmerizing indeed, Az had to admit… but it did not excuse the children in one bit. Despite its beauty, this place was dangerous for anyone. So, he turned to his nephew, who was looking around with wide, wondrous eyes that glowed like rubies.

"Now," he started, bringing the child's attention to him, "what exactly happened here?"

* * *

 _The day before, the six children were excited. Of course, they knew nothing of the real dangers of this place and only came here because it was forbidden, and what was forbidden was obviously very cool and interesting. This place, as far as they knew, was a mystery just waiting to be solved. They would find what the ancient Khaztan people before them did here, and what secrets they hid. If it involved a treasure of some sort, they would split it between them and become the richest Kiridans out there! Of course, those were the thoughts running through their mind as they made their way to this forbidden place, and none were close to the truth. Meta was behind the group; he was holding his little cousin on his head as he carefully trudged his way through the foliage and the bushes, his small form easy to get caught on anything that stood out. He was feeling odd; he didn't want to come here. He knew it was forbidden, and it was probably for the best… right? The adults wouldn't hide things from them. But, Ada really wanted to come, and Meta couldn't possibly leave like this. Galacta and his friends wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he chickened out…_

 _However, Meta's mind brightened when he saw the actual temple. Yes, it looked scary and about to fall over, but it had such a fairytale feel to it that he couldn't help but be astonished by it all. What a beautiful place! He quickly set Ada down when she began squeaking in delight and struggling to get down, and she took his hand immediately to drag him over to the entrance, where the others had gathered._

 _"I'm not so sure about this," one of the kids said as they caught up with them._

 _This one's father was a carpenter in town, one who often brought his child to work, and Meta saw his small knowledge flash in his eyes as he looked up at the structure of the temple._

 _"It doesn't look safe at all," the kid continued. "I mean, look at those walls!"_

 _"What if we're careful then?" another one retaliated. "It can't be that bad! Anyway, if it falls over, we can run pretty fast, yeah?"_

 _The others agreed, although with mumbles and visible concern. Still, they walked inside, but Galacta, before entering, turned to his cousin with a commanding look about his face. He pointed to his little sister, saying:_

 _"Remember, keep an eye on her, shorty."_

 _Meta frowned. He didn't like being called that… But he nodded nonetheless, without commenting, and followed Galacta inside, still holding Ada by the hand. The little girl dragged him all over the place, and the two cousins quickly went a bit farther away in the main hall than the others, who had all gone to the back of the room where rotten doors and altars were over-taken by nature's rights. While Ada brought him all around the place to look and mesmerize over everything, Meta couldn't help but stare at the ceiling. The dome structure of the roof looked old and withered like a dry old tree ready to break, but, like an old tree, the roots and branches formed beautiful arches above their heads, creating intricate designs and floral lines above and around them. Truly, Meta thought to himself, if this temple was repaired and restored to what it once was, it would be so pretty…_

 _Suddenly, Ada pulled on his arm again and he had to look back down; his wide silvery eyes widened, glowed and froze as he found himself before a large, circular tainted glass window…_

 _Galacta, as for himself, was exploring a bit deeper into the temple's remains, not too intent on finding any sort of treasure, but mostly to satisfy his curiosity. If this temple had anything to hide, in its state it wouldn't be long until it was found. Every door was busted down or rotten away, so at least they needn't look for keys._

 _"Meeeedaaaa! Eeeeeeeeeh!"_

 _Galacta looked away from his searching spot when he suddenly heard his sister's cry. She sounded scared! Quickly turning around, he dashed through the temple's grassy floor over to her, while his friends gathered, wondering what was wrong with her. She was near a broken window, alone, with her hands pressed against the wall underneath the windowsill, whimpering. Meta was gone! Galacta quickly ran over to her and took her in his arms when she lifted her hands to him with a whimper, and he gently asked:_

 _"Ada, what's wrong, sis? Where's Meta?"_

 _Upon hearing the name of her favourite cousin, Ada lifted a hand toward the window, straight toward the big hole at its bottom. This hole lead right back outside, into the forest, and Meta was nowhere to be seen through it. That little freak… After he told him to watch over her, even! With a frown, he set his sister down next to one of his friends and told him to watch her carefully before climbing through the window himself, not caring to see what the window's tainted glass represented. That little bastard was going to hear it from him!_

* * *

"He went through here," Galacta explained, walking toward the window from the day before to show it to the adults. "He left Ada right there, and he just vanished!"

Azure and Ano looked carefully at the tainted glass, and their knowledge of the old tales of the Universe came back almost immediately upon seeing it. The circular window appeared more like a mosaic at first, but if one looked carefully, one could retell the stories of Light and Dark through it alone. Above was the Sun, the Light, protected by the stars that made the dream, filled with bright and warm colours; and below, always reaching up to the dream, was the nightmare, the Dark, with its grabbing hands and million eyes. Along the middle, between them, was the perfect balance, aligning both together in harmony. The bottom of the window was destroyed, its pieces probably hidden and buried under the growing grass around the temple floor, leaving the true tale of the darkness to secrecy and Time.

Azure gave a sigh. Slowly but surely, his fears were coming true. Had Meta found out who he was? Had he discovered by himself what the whole village had hidden from him and the other children all those years? He was starting to regret even trying to hide it now… How foolish of him…

"Did you follow him?" Ano questioned his son, who nodded his head.

"Yeah, I went through after him."

"Did the others follow you?"

This time he shook his head.

"I told them to wait here…"

"Galacta, do you mind taking us to where you found him?" Azure asked him.

Galacta gave another nod, but instead of leaving by the window, he lead them back outside through the door, where he took a turn by the right side of the temple. There were no roads out here, so they had to trudge carefully through foliage and thick, lively bushes filled with thorns and berries. After a long trek through the woods, they came to a small clearing, through which only a few, faded sun rays could pierce through. Where their light fell, was a fallen giant…

* * *

 _Galacta ran through the bushes, calling his cousin._

 _"Meta! Where are you?!"_

 _Receiving no answer, he went on, pushing branches and leaves and shielding his eyes with his arms, more and more frustrated. This was stupid!_

 _"This isn't fun, Meta!" he called out again. "Where are you?! Meta?!"_

 _When he busted into the clearing, almost out of breath, he sighed in relief. There he was! Meta was just standing there, before the remains of what must have been another part of the temple, his back turned to him._

 _"Meta! There you are! What's wrong with you?! I told you to watch for Ada! She was crying!"_

 _But, the blue boy gave no answer. Galacta stopped in his tracks, staring at his back, confused. He was just… standing there, arms limp, completely unmoving… Feeling a odd sense of dread wash over him, Galacta gulped down and walked closer to him._

 _"Meta?" he asked as he walked around him. "Hey. I'm talking to you."_

 _Even his face looked completely frozen; mouth slightly open, eyes wide, very wide, shining like bright suns, he seemed completely gone. The scariest thing, however, were definitely his eyes; they weren't just white, they were going through a whole spectrum of colours! From green, they faded to orange, to yellow, back to a light apple green, and down to a deeper, emerald green that faded back into orange and purple. They kept their mauve colour for a longer time then, shining like darkened amethysts on a paling, dark face. Were those… tears? But he wasn't crying… Getting more and more worried, Galacta took his cousin by the shoulders and began shaking him._

 _"Meta! Hey! Snap out of it! You're scaring me, dude!"_

 _Meta blinked; and his eyes reverted back to their bright, starry white eyes._

* * *

It was here; just as Kia had said. The fallen Kabu sanctuary. From an honourable giant, this statue was naught but destroyed remains, over taken by nature. The top of the Kabu's head could be seen, laying on what remained of its mouth and the fallen parts of its body, while the rest of its structure almost completely covered the inner sanctum hidden below. The extinguished altar and stairs that lead to it were covered in bricks and overwhelmed by growing ivy, but they were still accessible, although Azure doubted the inner sanctum itself could be accessed, blocked as it was now. However, he did notice that, deep inside the Kabu's eyes, stars still twinkled, softly, distantly…

"He was standing right here," Galacta said, moving to where he had found his cousin, in front of the stairs before the altar.

"Did he say anything?" Ano asked.

"No," the child answered, before moving his hands before his eyes in quick motions. "But his eyes were weird! They were going through a whole palette of colours, it was really scary! I had to shake him out of it so we could get back. He didn't say anything… but he looked scared."

As he spoke, Galacta's eyes lowered a bit. He somehow regretted calling him a freak now. Meta was a Star Warrior; he was the only child of the village to know that. As such, his cousin was prone to doing weird things; that, he had known and understood since he was young. He looked up at his father, who was staring at the statue thoughtfully.

"Papa?" he asked, making his father turn his head.

"Yes, Galacta?"

"Star Warriors don't have nightmares, right? Then why did Meta have one yesterday?"

Ano hummed thoughtfully, looking at the sky for a few seconds.

"I don't really know, son," Ano answered with a sympathetic smile. "What do you think, Az?"

Uncle Az was staring at the statue; he looked… sad, almost. His face dragged down in a light frown, shoulders heavy, biting his lip nervously and thoughtfully. He was definitely worried for his kid.

"I don't know… I really don't know… And I hate not knowing. This Kabu is quiet."

"I noticed," Ano said, somber. "Galacta, did you hear anything from that statue yesterday?"

The boy shook his head.

"No. I came here, took Meta and went back to the temple. I didn't hear anything. Is it supposed to talk? What is that? Why should it be talking?"

Ano gave a light-hearted chuckle at the sheer number of questions his son could ask in a matter of a few seconds, but only nodded his head.

"That, son, is a Kabu. It is a sort of sanctuary for the people of the Universe. Anyone who seeks shelter, from any sort of evil, can come to one of these and rest."

"They are said to be keepers of memories," Azure continued. "They can predict the future, to an extent, and keep the memories of ancient times. Some say that through their eyes, you can tap into the energies that make up the Universe."

Galacta blinked.

"…What?"

Ano laughed and patted his son on the head.

"Don't worry, you'll understand later. Right now, just know that if you ever feel threatened in any way, you can find one of these statues, at least a standing one, and find shelter inside. Alright?"

The boy nodded his head, before Azure gave a deep sigh.

"Well then," he spoke, turning back to them, "I suggest we turn back. I can't hear this Kabu's whispers, but it's possible Meta did."

"Your kid just needs to cheer up a bit!" Ano said with a smile, taking a giggling Galacta in his hands to make him sit on his head. "Say, Galacta, how about a trip to the beach today? You could bring Meta and your friends, and we could take the boat out to sea! We'll be back before your lessons, of course. How about you, Az? Comin' along?"

Azure smiled warmly.

"Sorry, I'm on patrol duty today, but count me in next time you bring the kids! I'd be glad to join."

The trio then walked away from the Kabu, with Galacta casting one last glance behind at it. He could swear… he heard something right then… a whisper, a few, fleeting words, echoing in his ears…

* * *

 _Meta looked at him, eyes wide and scared. He gave a sob, one, but didn't cry._

 _"G… G…," he tried to speak, but couldn't._

 _Galacta frowned._

 _"What's wrong with you? I told you to watch Ada! What are you doing, jumping out of windows like that? You scared the crap out of me! Let's go, the sun is setting, we're late!"_

 _Without thinking, he took Meta by the hand and pulled him away from the Kabu's invisible grasp, from its reverberating whispers and calls…_

 _Away from its words of darkness…_

 _Away from its tales of woes and catastrophes…_

 _Away from memories of a destructive nightmare…_

* * *

Meta woke up this morning in his parents' bed, feeling completely fatigued and worn out. He had no memories of yesterday's dream or what it was about, but he did remember an awful dream, something that had terrified him. Whatever it had been, he didn't want to see it ever again. His mother cared for him all morning, even made him his favourite breakfast – which was, through everyone else's eyes, a real buffet worthy of a glutton – and he happily dug through all of it. Everywhere he went that day, he carried his dear star with him; it comforted him to have it with him at all times. It kept him in a safe cocoon he wouldn't want to get out of in exchange for anything, not even food.

When he found himself alone by the lake's shore inside the Hollow, this was when Meta also found himself lost in thoughts. No matter what he did, he couldn't remember his dream. Maybe it wasn't that important? Maybe it had just been a scary dream, a nightmare as his dad called it, and he had no reason to worry at all. But, still, no matter what else he did, he couldn't shake that thought off of him… That dream… was important… But why? This was frustrating! He didn't want to think about that, it was more upsetting than anything else.

"Hey, Meta!"

He jumped slightly when he suddenly heard his name being called from behind. Curious, he turned a bit to the side to cast a look behind, and there he saw his cousin, running toward him. He had a large smile on his face, quite the opposite of the day before. Seeing him made Meta self-conscious. He also couldn't stop thinking about yesterday… He looked down instinctively when Galacta arrived, simply saying in a low tone:

"Hey, Gal…"

Looking confused, Galacta raised an eyebrow at his tone, but shook it off quite quickly.

"Hey, wanna come with my dad and I at the sea? We're taking the boat out!"

"I dunno…"

"Aw, come on, you love the beach! And there's no forbidden temple this time around, promise!"

Meta couldn't help but smile a little bit; he did love the beach. Long walks and games on the beach were his favourite things to do outside, besides playing in the fields. Despite himself, he let Galacta pull him up by the arm, and they began to leave, with Galacta saying:

"Come on, it's gonna be lots of fun!"

"Galacta…"

Meta felt tears well up in his eyes as they stopped and his cousin turned to him. His lip shook.

"Sorry about yesterday…," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have ran off and left Ada alone like that… I'm an idiot…"

Galacta appeared surprised at first, but he smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, you're an idiot, but no need to be sorry about that. It's nothing, really."

The younger boy sniffed and gulped down on a sob, refusing to lift his head.

"I just feel really b-bad about it… I'm s-sorry…"

The older of the two kept his smirk, watching as his cousin wiped his eyes with the stubs that were his hands. He wrapped an arm around him, bringing him in for a hug. He laughed.

"Don't worry about it! It's all forgiven! You don't need to cry, big boys don't cry! No more tears, like your mom says, alright?"

Meta nodded his head, sniffing one last time.

"Okay… I'm good," he said with a second shake of his head.

He looked up at him and smiled, eyes shining… with shades of blue. Galacta left his mouth open, shocked by such a vibrant new colour in his eyes. Meta didn't even seem to notice, as he simply said:

"I really want to go to the beach now! Let's go!"

This time, it was Meta who took his cousin's hand and pulled him along, not even once taking notice of his strange, glowing eyes.

* * *

Far, far away in the Universe, far from the main systems, far from the light and the life of the dream, was a deep and sentient nothingness. It existed between everything that was and everything that will be, never to be seen, but never to be ignored.

But, despite its name, a world filled with nothingness is never quite empty.

A chessboard floated in a dark veil, quietly. Its pieces hadn't moved in years. Dust and lifeless ice had taken them, freezing them in their respecting places. Pawns spewed across the board, both white and black pieces, facing each other, blocked by others. Every time one moved and fell, another took its place. An impasse for both sides.

This game started so long ago, no one but the game master could remember it.

He mused over the board, nothing but a shadow in his realm of silent nightmares. The game was stuck in an endless loop, but he was not getting tired of it. No, instead, it had just begun to get interesting. Some time ago, something peculiar had happened on the board. A new white piece had appeared. A Knight. Far behind the other White Pawns, Bishops and Rocks, far behind the Queen and King and their defending horde, it had appeared, just like that. He had taken his eyes off the game for a split second, and when he had looked again, the Knight was there. A White Knight, deprived of dust and ice; its was facing its back to the other side of the board, as if unaware of the silent battle raging behind it.

Now, the game master found this very odd and very frustrating; not only because this was completely new, but also because he couldn't allow his enemy from creating new pieces such as this one. This one piece was very unique indeed; it had potential beyond anything he had ever seen, potential to be even bigger and better than a Queen!

If only he had a piece like that…

If only he had this piece…

He looked down at his own side of the board. His defence was set in stone. The White army wouldn't get past his Black ramparts of ice and nightmares. Perhaps… a Bishop could go through and see.

A large, skeleton like hand then extended from the darkness. In its clawed, delicate and expert fingers, it held a new model, a new piece, one he placed on the board, next to his King. This new Bishop was perfect for what he wanted; it was swift, agile, sneaky, and, most of all, manipulative. Finished with his work, the hand vanished back in the darkness.

The new piece spawned before him, and its eyes opened; bright red jewels, waiting for an order. The game master laughed; a horrible, terrible laugh.

"Go and find the elusive Light one. Observe him and be my eyes. Give him a reason to fear me. Go."

The Bishop piece bowed down, without a word.


	4. Happy Birthday, Boy

**Author's note: I'll try and update these more often so that people don't think that I'm dead. In any case, I'm glad there are people who show interest in this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review on the way, it always helps! Have a good read, people.**

* * *

Many years passed by after Meta found the shattered Kabu. Never once did he ever speak of it, and never once did his parents ever question him about it. Eventually, Meta entered the village's school and began a new type of learning, one in which he showed great potential. Quite early, he showed great intellect and amazing learning capabilities, so much so that his teachers had to adjust an education program for him alone.

Meta had an excellent memory; as soon as he learned how to read, he was able to recite poems, stories and rules by heart; and as soon as he was able to write, he set his imagination free and wrote hundreds of stories, each more wild and creative than the last. He began learning mathematics earlier than his peers, faster and better, and numbers became a second language. His great intellect did not hinder his physical capabilities either; he could run miles and miles without ever tiring himself, he was a quick sprinter and he had great endurance.

Despite his body being rather on the… short side – and that alone often brought the laughs of friends and peers, especially his cousin Galacta, who had taken to calling him by the kind name 'Shorty' – Meta was still remarkably swift and enduring. He would win every race, without any trouble, he would answer any questions, without any mistake, and he would mystify everyone, without any exception.

What often shocked people, too, was his impressive appetite; Meta was able to gobble down whole tables of food, hours and hours of cooking, in a matter of minutes only, sometimes without ever munching through it. And he would still be hungry! Most often, the children of the village would make fun of him for that, calling him the Gluttonous Blueberry, but Meta quickly learned to close his ears on such words. Words rarely really affected him, or so it seemed, and they certainly wouldn't now either.

 _What can I say,_ he would say, _I'm hungry._

Truly, Meta was what they called a prodigy.

But, he wasn't the only one the elders carefully looked after. His cousin Galacta, although older, proved to be as smart and, truly, even more physically able than his much younger cousin. What he may lack in literature and poetry knowledge, he compensated in might and sheer strength; everybody in town knew that Galacta was destined to be a knight one day, and that was a dream Galacta proudly presented each time he was able to. Despite this strange race to be the best at everything they could reach, the two cousins loved each other, not as friends, but as brothers; very different brothers that didn't agree on most subjects, but brothers, nonetheless.

* * *

It was Meta's birthday. His fiftieth birthday, actually.

Everyone was ecstatic today, and with reason; deemed a very special occasion, and Meta being a sort of star in town, the humble village of Moonshine Hollow would organize a big party for the night; with enough food to sustain even the gluttonous appetite of Meta himself! Friends from nearby towns and neighbouring cities were invited, and the more the party was talked about… the more anxious Meta became.

He didn't really know where his anxiousness came from. Was it from the fact that so many people were ready to celebrate him? Was it from the simple thought that all these people would sing him happy birthday that night? Or… was it from his father?

Kia and Azure had supported him throughout all of these fifty years; they had helped him when he was learning, they had encouraged him when he was running, they had held him when he had doubted. Today, he expected to see them smiling true smiles, he had expected them to be happy for him… But their smiles were fake. He could see it, plain as day; a twinkle in their eyes as they greeted him that morning, one that stood out among all the pride and joy that usually shone in its place; a sad one, a nervous one, that stuck to him like glue all day.

A ship arrived in town today. Not many came, at least not to this remote location. It perched atop the town, like a giant metal bird watching over the eye of the Hollow, but Meta didn't see who was inside. All he heard, was a man's voice, a kind voice, that came from the great hall of the Khano manor. Hiding atop the stairs in the shadows, Meta crept as close as he could to get a glimpse of the man, but he couldn't see him.

"I am very happy you could come!" he heard his mother speak, her voice resonating in the hall.

"I was lucky enough to get a permission," the voice said, a soothing voice very much like his father's. "Aah, this place hasn't changed at all! So, where's the boy? I haven't seen him since he was a baby! He must have grown."

"Aye, he did," Azure answered. "He must be in his room right now. Wait here, I'll go fetch him."

Meta frowned. He quickly ran off into the corridor, silently, and ran back to his room, where he closed the door and went back to his desk, quickly taking a book and opening it as if he had been studying. Soon after, the door opened again and his father smiled at him; again, that nervousness shone in his eyes like green beacons.

"Meta," he said, "can you come downstairs with me? There's someone I would like you to meet."

Looking back at him, the boy only nodded his head and followed him outside. He walked all the way back from whence he came, like nothing had happened, and they arrived back into the hall. When they began descending the main stairs of the hall, Meta was finally able to see that man. He was a Kiridan, like them, maybe the same age as his dad. With skin coloured like wine, he exuded an odd serenity yet mixed with a much greater sense of authority; a strange feeling Meta couldn't quite understand yet. What surprised him the most, however, was the way he was dressed; he was a knight! Just like in the storybooks! He had dark pauldrons shielding his shoulders, a dark indigo cape that flowed out like a cascade in his back, and brown leather boots on his feet, decorated humbly with metal details. His smoky purple eyes smiled warmly at him as he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, clinging to his father's hand as he guided him toward the man, and the smile the man gave him was true.

"Meta," his father said, "I would like to introduce you to Dragato, your godfather. He is a dear friend of ours, back from when your mom and I were only kids like you."

Meta's eyes slightly widened, but he didn't say a word. A godfather? He never thought that he could have one! Why didn't he meet him sooner? Was he too busy fighting bad guys? Where did he come from? Seeing that his son wasn't saying anything, Az said:

"Go on, don't be shy. Say hello."

But Meta only hid further behind his father's arm, making the other two adults chuckle lightly. Az lightly patted him on the back, chuckling:

"He can be a bit timid sometimes. I'm sure he's very glad to meet you, Drag."

"Oh, I'm sure he is," Dragato laughed as he walked closer, his arms linked in his back and hidden beneath his cape.

He kneeled down in front of Az, a bit closer to Meta, and continued to smile at him.

"Hello, Meta," the man spoke kindly. "It's been a very long time since I've seen you. Do you remember me?"

Slowly, Meta shook his head, and Dragato gave a chuckle.

"I don't doubt it. Last time I saw you, you were as big as an apple! Now look at you. You really do take after your dad. I was told you two looked alike, but dear Nova you look the same!"

He paused here and stared into his eyes, and Meta stared right back. There was something there, Meta could see… A certain greatness, a certain feeling of familiarity he couldn't shake off… Dragato gave a smirk.

"…Except your eyes," he continued. "Yes, you have your mother's eyes…"

Behind him, Kia smiled at his words, and Dragato lifted himself up, laughing:

"Hopefully you don't have your dad's temper!"

It was Az's turn to laugh as he punched his friend in the arm.

"Hahaha! Nice one. No worries though, he takes a lot more after his mom than me!"

Meta frowned lightly. He didn't really like listening to adults talk about him like he wasn't there. A lot of people did that with him, and it aggravated him somehow, but he didn't show it. Instead, he looked at his father and tugged him on the arm, making him look down.

"Papa," he said, "can I go play outside?"

"Of course," was his dad's answer. "But don't go too far, alright?"

Meta nodded his head, and he went off and gave a hug to his mother before turning to the knight and nodding his head again.

"Goodbye, Mister Dragato!"

And off he went, running at full speed toward the door, leaving the three friends together. As he closed the door, Dragato turned back to the couple, saying:

"My, so polite too! I can see you did a wonderful job raising him up until now. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Dragy," Kia smiled. "We do what we can, but there's still a lot more to do."

For a split second, there was a moment of silence, during which the three of them suddenly felt heavy, very heavy. Dragato's face got darker, and his tone became a bit harsher. Then, came the question.

"Have you told him?"

Kia looked away; Az gave a heavy sigh. Those were the only answers they could give, and Dragato turned his back on them to pace around a bit.

"You must tell him."

"It's too soon. Not ye-"

"If you won't tell him," Dragato snapped, "then I will. Or even better; Lady Harkim will. He has to know, Az! Kia, say something."

Kia continued to look off to the side for a moment, then gave a heavy sigh and looked up to her husband.

"Az," she spoke gently, touching his arm. "He's right."

Seeing that her husband still wouldn't look up to reason, she walked closer to him and gently cupped his cheeks in her hands, making him lift his eyes, slowly, to her.

"He's old enough to understand," she said softly. "He needs to know eventually…"

He stared into her eyes for a long time, and Kia could see, oh she could see, how much this decision tore him appart every day. He gave a sigh, and he closed his eyes.

"Alright," he said softly, looking at her then back at Dragato. "But… not today. Tonight. After the party. I don't want to ruin this day for him…"

"Fine by me," Dragato said as a light smile came back to his kind face. "As long as you tell him. Then in that case, I'll wait until you tell him to give him my gift."

Kia looked back at him, arching an eyebrow.

"And what could it be?"

Dragato smirked and lifted a finger.

"Ah! It's a surprise! Now then, now that that's settled, how about you show me the rest of the family? It's been a while since I've seen all of them."

And as the trio left further into the house to find the rest of this huge family, Az couldn't snap out of it; he couldn't fathom the thought of telling Meta who he was, no matter how urgent it was to do so… He couldn't fathom the thought of loosing his child… Not so soon…

* * *

Meta did not listen to his father. When he went outside, no matter where he went, there was always someone, and no matter which direction he turned, someone would always call his name. Desiring some alone time, Meta quickly ran up the stairs that lead to the surface world, and went off into the plains. Today was a beautiful day; truly the most beautiful weather one could hope for on their birthday. Not a cloud in sight, a blue sky all over, a gentle, refreshing wind swifly spreading through the plains; truly, a perfect day.

Except Meta was still running.

From what? He didn't know at all, nor did he care. He just wanted to get away from the town, from all these people. There were too many, it was too crowded, they were all looking at him, calling him, people he often didn't know, like he was some sort of celebrity. The boy didn't like this feeling of being overwhelmed one bit, so he could just run. He went all the way across the plains toward the woods, but didn't enter them. He found the hill he often liked to perch himself upon, one that had a great old tree with a wide crown that offered a much welcomed shade from the heat. With a light sigh of relief, he sat down, and closed his eyes.

For a long time, he remained by himself, and he was so comfortable out here that he just dozed off for a long while. He drifted away into his own, personal land of dreams, blissfully distracted from these useless worries. What woke him up later, was a poke on the head. He woke up in the middle of a snore in surprise, and looked up to see Galacta; his cousin was poking him with a stick. The magenta boy gave a snort.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "It's your fiftieth birthday and you're spending it sleeping out here? Of all the things you could do today, you decided to sleep it away! Wow. You're weird."

He turned and began walking around, swinging his stick like it was a play sword. Slightly confused and still sleepy, Meta sat up against the tree and rubbed the sleep off his eyes, mumbling:

"Mmh… What time is it…?"

"Barely past two," Galacta answered. "Hey, you've met Uncle Dragato, right?"

"Uncle?" Meta repeated. "I thought he was just a friend…"

"Yeah, but I always called him that. He's a friend of the family, so he might as well be an uncle. Anyway, he's pretty awesome, uh? A real, full-fledged knight! Maybe I could get him to teach me how to use a sword… My dad won't teach me."

"Why?"

Galacta raised his shoulders.

"Says it's too dangerous for now, but I'm not a kid anymore!"

"…Yes, you are."

His cousin gave an exasperated sigh and waved his hand in his direction.

"Why am I still talking to you, shorty?"

"I dunno. Why are you out here?"

Galacta stopped moving for a few moments, staring off into the distance. There was something odd with him, Meta noticed. He was tensed, nervous, but he, too, didn't know why. Galacta reached behind him and did his best to scratch his back.

"I dunno, I feel weird today. My back hurts, I can't get comfortable anywhere I go, so I guess I'm just wandering around… That ever happened to you?"

Meta shook his head.

"No… Are you sick?"

Galacta turned back to him, shaking his head as well as he rubbed his forehead.

"No, I don't think… Hey, wanna walk around with me for a bit? I feel a bit dizzy when I'm not moving. We could go to the woods! I'll get you a good stick and we can spar!"

"But we don't know how to spar."

Galacta gave another sigh and lifted his arms.

"Wanna come with me or not?"

With an amused smirk, Meta stood up, agreeing to come with him. A nice walk would help them feel better, he was sure. They went off together toward the woods, and they talked lightly, about all the people that were in town, about how the aunts were excited about the party, and, most of all, about how they could get Sir Dragato to teach them how to use a sword. Galacta proposed that they could make a deal with him, but when asked what sort of deal, he fell silent. Eventually, as they entered the forest and walked around on the beaten paths, the older cousin found the perfect stick for his younger relative, and they played around for a long time.

"So," Galacta asked as they traversed a small wooden bridge over a stream of water farther into the woods. "How does it feel to be fifty years old?"

Meta simply shrugged as an answer. They both stopped on the bridge to look down into the small and quiet river. The waters were completely pure and transparent, allowing them to see a few tiny fish and frogs as they swam around the rocks.

"I dunno," the younger of the two said. "It feels pretty normal, I guess."

"Then wait until you're two hundred," Galacta spoke. "Dad says that's when you get real mature and stuff. I can't wait!"

Meta gave a chuckle, but they soon fell quiet after that. Watching the river silently, they were each in their own thoughts about the future, lost in what could be and what will be. Meta saw Galacta scratch his back again, with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"…Galacta?"

"Mmh?"

Meta thought over his question, rolling his tongue over the words a few times to make sure it would be clear enough.

"Do I… uh… I mean… Am I weird?"

"Uh, yeah," Galacta answered matter-of-factly. "But Mom says we're all weird, so no worries about that. Why?"

"Um," Meta hesitated, "no, you didn't get me… I mean, is there something wrong with me?"

Galacta didn't answer for a long moment, and Meta could feel his heart beat considerably faster in his small chest. He looked up at his cousin worriedly; he was just staring ahead, as if thinking. Finally, Galacta turned to him and blinked his tall, crimson eyes, shaking his head negatively.

"Mmh, nope," he said. "Can't think of anything. What kind of wrong?"

Meta looked back down. He really didn't know. It was just a feeling, a recurring thought that came back every now and then, and today, it felt even more stronger than usual.

"I don't know…," he mumbled. "Like… Like I'm not… normal, I guess? I can't describe it…"

Galacta then gave a snort of a laugh and punched him on the arm, saying:

"Nah, you're pretty normal. You're weird, but there's nothing wrong with you."

"Pretty normal," Meta repeated as if assimilating the information. "Okay, then…"

"But hey," Galacta smirked, "there's nothing wrong with being 'normal'. Besides, what's normal, really? I mean… Mom says that we're all weird and normal in our own ways, you know."

"I guess…"

Meta still wasn't sure if he should believe him or not. Galacta's tone was… strange. Was he even thinking what he was saying? Or was he just repeating things he had heard from others? Maybe he was the one being paranoid. Maybe Galacta was right, and he was… pretty normal. But, once again, even as he swatted the thought away, those words didn't ring correctly. He wasn't normal. But what made him abnormal was what he wanted to know and was what Galacta wasn't telling him. With a sigh, he walked away from the edge of the bridge and looked at Galacta.

"We should go back," he said. "Before my dad wonders where I'm at."

The two set off once more in the woods toward the way back home, in a strange silence. The two of them could tell the other was preoccupied, the younger by personal worries, the older by a considerably increasing pain in his back, but they didn't add anything about any of that.

It happened when they exited the woods.

Upon walking out into the sun struck plains, it took Meta a couple of seconds to realize Galacta had fallen behind. When he looked back, he gave a shocked gasp; Galacta had fallen on the ground! The younger cousin quickly ran back to him, falling on his hands to try and see what was happening, worry spreading inside him like a plague.

"Galacta!" he called to him. "What's wrong?!"

Galacta was shaking terribly, face planted in the ground, hands clinging to the grass to the point of ripping it off. With a gurgling sound, he looked up, visibly out of breath, and stared at his cousin with so much fear glowing in his eyes that Meta could feel it like it was his own. Galacta gave a whimper and held a hand forward, grasping Meta's own suddenly.

"M-my back!" he whimpered. "M-my b-back hurts- ah! it's burning! It's b-burn- Aah!"

He clenched suddenly on Meta's hand, pushing his face back down in the grass with a sudden cry of pain. Meta panicked. What should he do?! What was happening to him? Was he getting wings already?! In a panic, Meta looked around, in hopes that his dad had gone out to look for them, but seeing that they were completely alone out here, far from the village, he gulped down and stood up.

"W-wait here!" he said quickly. "I'll go get someone!"

But as he was about to turn around, Galacta cried out and held out his hand, crying:

"No! Don't leave me! P-please don't leave me!"

Another spasm shook his body and he wriggled on the ground, bursting out in uncontrolled sobs and cries. Terribly panicked, the younger boy went back on his belly in front of him to hold his hands, completely powerless to do anything.

"O-okay," he tried to sound soothing, "I'm here… I'm not leaving…"

As Galacta wriggled and cried, Meta tried to get a good look at his back, and he almost regretted doing so. There was something jutting out of there! It looked like a claw, piercing through the skin of the middle of his back. Blood was dripping from the sides of the hole, and the smell made Meta want to vomit, but he simply looked away, back down to Galacta's face. He had never seen him so… scared. Scared and afraid. Meta had always thought him to be the strongest; he never cried, never complained that he was hurting, and most of all, never begged for help.

Another tremor shook him, and Meta let him hold on to his hand. Galacta was so pale, he looked ready to pass out at any moment…

The pain lasted for too long. After fifteen minutes of crying and shaking, Galacta retrieved some sort of sanity and looked up from the ground, visibly exhausted and as pale as the moon. A mix of dirt, grass, tears and blood stained his face, leaving clear trails down his cheeks.

"M-meta," he said shakily.

"Yeah?"

Galacta remained quiet a moment, taking this time to breathe a bit more calmly.

"T… There's nothing wrong with you… alright? D-doesn't matter what you hear… there's nothing wrong… with you… You hear me, shorty?"

Taken aback by those words, Meta took a moment to take them in and slowly nodded his head.

"Y-yeah…"

Meta gently put his forehead against his cousin's, still holding his hands. He wouldn't leave him behind. He would wait until it calmed, and then he would bring his cousin back home. Their parents could probably do something more to help him. Suddenly, a new wave of pain took over Galacta, this one much worse than the others. He shook, he cried, he yelled, clinging and grasping anything he could, smashing his forehead against his cousin's, who clenched his eyes shut and tried in vain to keep him still by holding his hands. Galacta thrashed about wildly, arching his back up and down as a generous amount of blood gushed out of the wounds, kicking his feet in every direction, twisting his round body on the stained, bloodied grass. With one last scream, he pushed his back skyward, freezing in a long spasm for a solid five seconds… before falling back on the ground, breathless.

Meta had kept his eyes closed throughout all of it, unable to support to see him like this. When Galacta stopped moving, he slowly opened them; Galacta had gone limp, but he was still taking long, deep breaths… and when he looked at his back, his eyes widened and he remained in shock. He had been right. Galacta had grown wings.

They weren't completely out, at least from what little of them he could see; most of them were covered in shredded skin and dripping blood, but they seemed to have calmed and were only slightly shaking here and there. Taking a deep, relieved breath, Meta stood back on his feet, tugging on Galacta's arm.

"Cuh… Can you stand?" he asked carefully. "We gotta go back… They're out now…"

For a long moment, Galacta remained sprawled on the ground, quiet and breathless. When he raised his head, he had grass and tears on his cheeks and around his eyes and mouth, and he looked completely depleted. He looked up at his cousin, and let him pull him up on his feet. He stumbled forward, but Meta quickly caught him, and wrapped an arm around him, careful not to touch his sensitive back. Then, they began to walk, back toward the Hollow, in silence. They walked slowly, one step at a time, and whenever Galacta was about to fall over, Meta was there to hold him up. The older of the two kept his head low, quiet, until he eventually spoke. His voice was so tired…

"Hey, Meta…"

"Mmh?"

"Sorry I messed up your birthday…"

Meta smiled and giggled.

"Don't be sorry! You didn't mess up anything."

"Yeah, I messed it up," Galacta mumbled. "Thanks for helping me… I didn't think it'd happen today…"

"But hey," Meta smiled, "you got your wings! You always wanted them, right? I bet once they're out, they'll be the prettiest wings on Khazta Star!"

That made Galacta smile a true smile; the thought of having beautiful and great wings that would carry him anywhere he wanted well surpassed the pain he had to go through to earn them.

"Eh," he chuckled. "Once Mom teaches me how to fly, I'll bring you everywhere you want. I owe you a big one."

Meta's smile widened and remained stuck to his face for a long time after those words were spoken.

When they came back to the Hollow and they began to walk down the long stairway to the town's level, suffice it to say that there were many a gasp as they walked through the crowd. After all, to see two young boys, one being the celebrity of the day and the other a notorious 'tough kid', walk into the town, one covered in blood and the other with a torn open back with newly grown wings, wasn't what most had expected out of this birthday party. Of course, Galacta was quickly rushed to the Elder's house, where he was joined and surrounded by his parents, while Meta was taken back to the Khano manor to be cleaned.

As his mother scrubbed the dried blood off of his arms and face in the tub, Meta retold the tale of what had happened in great details, waving his arms around as he described how the wings had bursted out of Galacta's back like wriggling worms. His mother remained quiet, still taken aback by the sheer panic she had felt upon seeing her son arrive in town with so much blood on him. She had thought they had both been hurt, and that she hadn't been there to help, and a great sense of shame had taken over her; only to be washed away when she realized that Galacta had simply grown his wings. Relief had spread over her, making her almost faint, but now, she was simply smiling at her son. She was so proud of him.

When she was done washing him, she took him out of the water and onto the carpet, wrapping a warm, clean towel around him. She smiled warmly at him and kissed him on the head.

"Alright, young hero," she told him. "Dry yourself, and we'll go see how your cousin's doing."

* * *

Later that evening, the town was bursting with life. Kiridans were everywhere, both in the skies and on the ground, on the surface and in the Hollow, on land and in the lake, enjoying everything this party had to offer. Tables were lined near the lake's shores, covered in dishes, meals and drinks of all kind for all ages. Children were running after each other between chattering adults, almost spilling wine glasses as they played too close to the tables, making a few elders cry out at them to shoo them off. Colourful garlands and twinkling lights hung above everyone's heads, and the Hollow was lit up like a bright star. A group of musicians from the neighbouring village had come over to play jolly tunes in the middle of the lake, floating on a large wooden stage-raft.

Meta was in his room, at his window. From here, he had a great view of the party, and seeing so many people down there only made him more nervous. There were so many people… He had thought that there had been a lot this afternoon, but now it was worse! All because it was his birthday… But why? On the same date every year was his birthday, and there never was such a huge party! Why now? Was reaching fifty years old such a big deal? If it was, he didn't understand why. Kiridans could live up to hundreds of thousands of years; some lived for so long that they just forgot their age! So why fifty years old? And why him? He didn't remember such a huge event for Galacta's fiftieth birthday… although it had been bigger than normal birthdays. So many people…

"Happy birthday, boy."

Meta gave a gasp and his heart nearly exploded in his chest; he didn't recognize that voice. He whirled around immediately on his bed, expecting to see who had sneaked into his room… but saw no one. The door was closed, as he had left it, and nothing else was out of place. For a moment, Meta remained glued to the window, paralyzed as he watched every detail of his room carefully. His heart was beating so loudly in his heart. That scared him so much! Taking a shaky breath, he clenched the windowsill with a hand.

"W-who's there?" he asked to nothing.

But no one answered him, and he was left alone, confused and scared. Carefully, Meta quickly walked over his bed sheets toward his bed table, where he searched through his stuff to retrieve his shining star, which he immediately hugged against himself. Its warm light was a calming balm that covered him like honey, and soon enough, his heart rate went back to fairly normal, although he was still looking all around his room worriedly. That voice… had been so scary…

The door opened suddenly and he gasped, but he breathed out when he saw it was his mother, who smiled at him.

"Are you ready, honey?" she asked him.

He nodded his head, and she gestured him to come over. He slid off his bed, hid his star under his pillow, and quickly walked over to Kia. They both exited the room, ready to join the party, closing the door behind. It was like nothing had happened.

Inside the room, an invisible form walked away from the wall, ever so quiet. Arms linked in its back, it walked across the room, each step carefully calculated, each movement distorting the world through its see-through body. Completely ignoring the star under the pillow, the form jumped over the bed and landed on the windowsill, still but a blurred nothingness. It looked over the town, its denizens, its blinding light. It looked as the boy walked out of the house and the town rose into a delighted outburst. The shadow smirked, before jumping through the window and vanishing into the crowd.


	5. The End of Childhood

**Author's note: This one turned out to be much longer than I thought it would, but considering it is a very important chapter, I guess it's okay. I'm used to writing long chapters anyways, so it was fun to write. I hope you all enjoy this one! Don't forget to leave a review on the way, it always helps! Have a good read!**

* * *

Bright lights, shining like a thousand dancing eyes, up and down and left and right and up and down. A crowd of a thousand Kiridans, united for this night to celebrate one child, one child who knew nothing. Fifty years for a Kiridan was a great honour; it represented the first milestone, the first threshold to cross. The next one, after that, was at two hundred, an age of maturity; but, right now, Meta was fifty years old, and that was an event to celebrate!

The boy had been terribly nervous at first; when he stepped into the crowd at the start of the party, he had felt horribly overwhelmed. All of these people, looking at him, calling his name, praising him, 'I hear you are a little genius!', 'What a cute little boy!', 'Our little prodigy!', 'I hear you're a hero!', 'Your parents must be so proud of you!'… Meta didn't know what to answer to any of these comments, and found it enough to just smile and say 'Thank you, mister, ma'am'. A lot of other children he didn't know wanted him to go and play with them, and though he didn't want to deceive, Meta was terribly shy and, again, didn't know what to say to them. So, clinging to his mother's hand, he followed her shyly through this great crowd and they eventually made it to the Elder's house.

Inside the modest dome house, they found Galacta in the back room reserved for patients. He was with his mother, Uri, who was now busy cleaning Galacta's brand new wings. Spread on his belly, Galacta looked up toward the door when they walked in, and smiled a tired and happy smile.

"Hello, you two!" Kia greeted cheerfully. "How is Galacta doing?"

"There you are, sis," Uri said with a bright smile. "Look! He's got my wings!"

"I can see that. They look so pretty, Galacta! Congratulations!"

Meta walked up to Galacta's bed and stared at the wings with wide and curious eyes. Aunt Uri was carefully scrubbing and cleaning the wings, holding one open in her palm. They looked so pretty… They had no primary feathers yet, but the down that covered them entirely looked so soft and fluffy! On the thumb of the wing, a small dew claw was protruding out; Meta remembered reading somewhere that it would fall off eventually, that it had been used to pierce the skin of the back without too much damage, but not without pain. He looked down when he heard his cousin giggle, and Galacta smirked, amused.

"Jealous, shorty?" he snorted, making Meta scoff back.

The younger of the two looked up at his mother, asking:

"Mama, am I ever gonna get wings too?"

"Mmh," his mother mused thoughtfully for a few seconds, sharing a glance with her sister as if looking for an answer. "It's hard to say, honey. Both your father and I don't have wings, but the gene is still in the family, so it's possible you might get them from Granny Adel. Keep in mind, wings are hereditary, so there's always a chance."

"In the meantime," Aunt Uri said with a kind smile, "you can come see Galacta practice when I'll teach him how to fly."

"So you'll really teach me?!" Galacta exclaimed, trying to look back at his mother, who laughed out loud.

"Of course! You're not gonna learn that on your own, little man."

Meta looked back at the wings, eyes filled with wonder. He imagined himself later on his life, with great wings as soft and fluffy as those, soaring through the sky…

It turned out that Galacta was already feeling better enough to go out and party with the others. With bandages smelling of medicinal herbs covering his back to help his wounds heal, he ventured out into the town with his cousin, and, luckily for Meta, took most of the attention off of him. He bragged about his wings and how awesome they were to all of his friends, who stood mouth agape as they watched him fold and unfold them, and meanwhile, Meta was allowed to finally sneak off for the buffet. Now that he was no longer worried for his cousin, he was starving, and when the Gluttonous Blueberry was starving, he _needed_ food, and _now_.

As he was digging through a delicious and freshly baked apple pie, a voice came from behind.

"Hello, Meta."

This voice… was familiar.

Turning around with a mouthful of pie puffing his pink cheeks, he blinked at the dark green Kiridan man that was standing there. He had never seen him, so he probably came from the neighbouring village. There was something, though, about him that seemed… off. It was his eyes. His eyes were… sneaky. Like a snake's. Meta had seen a snake once, though it had been a tiny, adorable one in the bushes. Those he had seen in books about the fauna of Khazta Star, however, had these eyes. They were huge, creepy creatures that could eat animals in one bite and had poison in their teeth. This man here had their eyes. Sneaky, never blinking, and scary. Meta swallowed his mouthful and slowly waved a shy hand. He couldn't look away from those eyes… The man smiled a strange smile, and he searched through his pockets.

"Are you enjoying your party?"

Meta blinked, and immediately, a light in his own eyes made him snap out of it. He lightly frowned, taking a step back.

"Y-yeah…," he answered, maintaining eye contact. "Who are you, mister?"

The man only smiled, kindly, and responded in a light tone:

"Oh, I'm just a friend. Actually, since I can't stay for the rest of the evening, I wanted to give you your present early. Here."

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed him a small box, no bigger than his palm, wrapped in gift paper. Meta stared at it for a moment, not sure whether he should accept it or not, but seeing that the man didn't seem ready to just leave like that, the boy held out his hand and took the gift. He observed it for a short time, turning the small box around and weighting it, but when he looked back up to thank the mister, he was already leaving through the crowd. Meta didn't go after him; he was pretty weirded out by this man, but… at least he had been nice.

With a smirk, Meta was about to pull on the paper ribbons to unwrap the box, but a large hand suddenly came in on his own and he gave a surprised gasp as he looked up instantly. It was that knight; Sir Dragato, smiling down at him.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Meta," he apologized kindly. "But your father said that there is no opening gift until the cake."

Meta looked down a moment. Oh yeah, he did say that…

"Would you mind giving this to me?" Dragato continued. "I'll go put it with the others and you can open it later."

The boy looked up at the knight. His eyes certainly were much nicer than that weird mister's. They held something great, familiar and reassuring; there was a light in his eyes he liked, and that was the reason why he smiled at his godfather and gave him the gift.

"Alright," Dragato smiled back. "You should go back to your cousin, I believe the cake will be coming soon. Go on, now!"

Without a word, Meta nodded his head and ran off through the crowd, his small form easy to sneak around all of these people. As soon as he was gone, however, Dragato glared down at the little box. It was subtle, but he could feel a dark intent emanating from this small present. He hid it away in his pocket, making a mental note to report this to Lady Harkim. It seemed the enemy knew where Meta was hidden…

* * *

They were singing, all of them, in a giant, unified chorus, one, booming voice who repeated those words in his ears.

"Happy Birthday, Meta~ Happy Birthday, Meta~…"

And the cake was coming too, he could see the lights from all the candles coming through the crowd. Such a huge cake! Such pretty colours! So many lights, walking toward him, in that mountain of creamy yummyness! His uncles set the giant cake down on the table in front of him, and the tiny blue boy was just so _small_ next to it, he could only wonder _how_ he was supposed to blow all of those candles. And in one blow too! Otherwise his wish wouldn't be heard by the stars! He couldn't fail this, especially with the wish he had in mind.

Meta stood on his feet on his chair, but still he wasn't tall enough. He was just so short! He could already hear Galacta snorting behind him and calling:

"Get tall, shorty!"

Getting on his tip-toes, Meta took in a deep breath while everyone around him laughed and sang, waiting for him to blow the candles. His body puffed up and grew in size, and like every year when he was about to blow the candles, everyone that stood behind the cake in front of Meta promptly left to the sides. The first few times that baby Meta had been asked to take in a deep breath and blow the candles, the boy had done so with so much gale force that the cakes had been blown across the table, taking everyone by surprise with a rainfall of cream on their faces. Meta had laughed at them, not bothering to try and understand why it was the cake that had been blown off. Now, years later, Meta had understood how to control his breath so he would only blow the candles, but whenever his body puffed up in that manner, everyone ducked down.

He closed his eyes and made his wish. And Meta blew all the candles in one, swift breath, and his ears filled with a round of applause that made him blush and lower his eyes in shyness.

"Happy birthday, Meta!"

"Happy birthday, boy!"

"Hurray for Meta!"

A plate with a generous slice of the cake was put down before him, making him raise his head, and his dear mother smiled warmly down at him before kissing him on the head.

"Happy birthday, Meta," she told him, and that sentence stood out greatly from all the others, as it was the first that made his grin grow.

"Oy, Kia!" an uncle's voice spoke from somewhere in that crowd of family members. "That cake is delicious! You made it?"

"Oh, haha!" his mother retorted in a sarcastic way. "You know I can't bake cakes for the life of me. But I'm glad you like it. What about you, Meta? Do you like it?"

Meta already had half of the cake's cream stuck to his lips and he looked up at her shyly, nodding his head with a mouthful of cake. The cake was _delicious_ , simple as that.

Soon after, when everyone had had a slice of this perfect cake, it was time for the presents. The most exciting part of the evening! Discovering what lay inside all of those decorated boxes, under all that wrapping paper and all those colourful ribbons. As always, the smaller gifts came first, and Meta received a plethora of new toys and gadgets, and with all the other children surrounding him, he discovered them all, one by one, thanking the person with one of his precious wide smiles and a polite "Thank you!" so adorable that some couldn't help but awe and squeal whenever the boy did it. Among those gifts, Meta clearly took notice that the small box the mister from earlier had given him that he had given back to Sir Dragato was nowhere to be found, but he made no comment, nor was he surprised.

Next, came the larger boxes, and there were two of them. One was as tall as him, and the other slightly smaller. The larger of the two was given first, however, and it came from his grand-parents Adel and Mio. The two of them surrounded him as the boy took in the sheer size of the box, and his grand-mother told him:

"It's from the both of us, sweetie. I think you're going to like it."

Terribly curious, Meta jumped up to grasp the paper on top of the box and began to tear it down, under the amused gazes of his elders. Inside the box, to Meta's surprise, was a strange device that he had seen only in books; a gramophone. Eyes wide, Meta tore the box down until he was able to pull the device out, and he stared at it, mouth agape. Behind him, his grand-mother giggled at his reaction and put her hand on his shoulder, leaning in to tell him:

"We heard your radio broke the other day, so we found you this. The sound is much nicer than your old radio and you can listen to great new songs. It's called a gramophone."

"Well, you like it?" Grandpa Mio asked, to which Meta turned with shining eyes like glowing stars and smiled brightly.

"I love it!" the child exclaimed before jumping up to hug his grand-mother and moving to hug his grand-father right after. "Thank you very much!"

Truly, Meta couldn't wait to try it out. He was so happy! He loved listening to music when he was working and studying, and he had been terribly sad when his radio, his only means of music, broke on him a few weeks ago. Now he had something brand new that made music! Now what could be hiding in that last box, he wondered. Still smiling brightly, he watched with stars in his eyes as his mother put the last box in front of him. His father stepped next to him, smiling almost nervously.

"This one's from us both," his mama told him, gesturing toward his father. "We were waiting for this day to give it to you. I hope you like it!"

Curious, Meta began tearing down the wrapping paper, eagerly awaiting the content of the last present to appear before him; and so it did, with a different sort of surprise. The object that appeared through the paper was unknown to him. It looked like some sort of keyboard, but with a strange, trapezoid shape that made the keys stand out. Chuckling at his son's obliviousness, Az leaned in and told him:

"This, Meta, is a writing machine. You put the paper here, and you can write by pressing the keys."

"We know how much you love to write stories," his mother said from his other side. "Now it should be much easier to write, and you can create as many stories as you want."

Meta's hands stayed in place, touching the smooth edge of the machine, and he stared at it a long time. He could write anything… He could create anything! It would make things so much easier! And definitely more comfortable too, as he always had some trouble holding a pencil for a long time with the stubs that made up his hands. This was so much better, he could already picture all the stories he wanted to write and he couldn't wait to start!

"Well?" his mother smiled, making him turn to her. "What do you think?"

Meta then smiled the brightest smile one had ever seen, and he jumped in his parents' arms as they laughed, exclaiming:

"I love it! Thank you, Mama! Thank you, Papa!"

And the crowd rose up with a new round of applause and cheers, singing one last time a happy birthday to their dear little prodigy.

His gifts were taken back to his home, and the after-party began, a time where children were huddled in groups, playing with Meta's new toys that he shared with them, beginning to tire out after a whole day of running around, and when adults could calmly gather around a cup of wine. The music coming from the lake quieted down into nice, calming tunes that gracefully cradled the crowd into the late night. In the sky, the moon was high above the eye of the Hollow, shining down onto the lake with bright and shining rays of white and blue.

* * *

Meta was playing and discovering his new toys with a group of other children when his father's voice came up from behind him, making him look up from his toy.

"Meta?"

He looked back behind him with a quizzical look. His father stood there… again with this nervousness that made him feel uneasy, somehow.

"Can I talk to you for a bit? It won't… take long, so you'll be able to get back to your friends."

Although he found him odd and off, Meta nodded his head nonetheless with a hum of approval and stood up to follow him. He took his father's hand in his own and they both walked through town on the paved road, greeting people along the way, in a strange, almost awkward quietness. Why was he so nervous, Meta wondered. Why so quiet? Why so tensed? He had been alright earlier when he and his mama had given him his present, so why was he like this now, again? Meta only held on a bit tighter to his father's hand, trying to comfort him, and the young boy definitely noticed a slight change. The hand that held his tightened its grip a bit more too in answer, and it was enough.

The two of them walked back to the Khano manor; the main hall was empty, but Az continued walking and brought him to the living room. There, his mother waited, her back to them. She whipped around when they walked in, a strange look about her eyes, but a smile still stretching her lips at the sight of the loves of her life, walking in hand in hand. Az gestured his boy to sit down on the couch, which Meta did obediently while his parents pulled two chairs to sit in front of him. Meta had a growing bad feeling about this situation; he was sure he hadn't done anything bad, so they couldn't be scolding him… So what was wrong? Why were they making these weird faces? What was this feeling nagging him from inside, biting and nibbling at his heart every time he looked into their eyes?

His parents shared a look before turning back to him; it was his father who spoke first.

"Meta, we need to talk to you about something."

He sounded so serious…

"It is very important that you listen carefully, okay?"

The child nodded his head, and his mother continued.

"We were planning on telling you this for a very, very long time, sweetie… But today, you're fifty years old. We know you're old enough to understand."

Understand what…? What was she talking about? His father continued, leaning a bit forward as he did.

"I'll be… clear. I mean, brief."

He sighed, and his mother reached out to warmly take his hand, as if he were hurting. Was he actually hurting? If so, why? What was it he needed to say? Why was he so nervous? Why was he so _scared_? Why was _he_ so scared to hear it? Just say it, Papa! Say it! Free yourself!

"Listen… I'll tell you a story."

Meta blinked. A story? Why a story? What kind of story? Az looked at him briefly in silence, and gave a sigh, slowly blinking his tired, green eyes as he contemplated whether he should tell it or not. But Meta was a patient child, and he only watched in resolute silence as his father thought over his words, one syllable after the next. Az joined his hands together.

"Long ago, our Universe was a peaceful realm. The people lived in a perfect dream, and they were happy. However, one day, uh, a nightmare appeared. A bad dream, a, uh, villain, that we simply came to call… Nightmare."

Slowly, Meta's eyes widened, but he didn't utter a single sound, nor did a single thought run through his mind. There was nothing but that word. A word he had heard once before. Nightmare. A name. Nightmare. The nightmare and the dream. All the words his father spoke next, Meta felt like he knew all of them, like he could predict all the words he was about to say.

"This, uhm, Nightmare, was a very, very terrible being. He tried to invade the dream the Universe was living in, he tried to break it, but of course, the people didn't agree, and they fought back. Strong, valiant soldiers appeared in the dream to push Nightmare back, and a war started. A long and terrible war, that still goes on even today…"

He paused here, but only briefly, to take a look at his wife, to receive a nod from her, he was telling the right thing, now he just needed to continue and stop pausing.

"Those brave soldiers were called Star Warriors, and they were blessed by Nova and the stars themselves to protect and defend our Universe against Nightmare and his forces. Together they formed a great army, called the Galaxy Soldier Army. From the moment they're born, Star Warriors are destined to fight…"

Another pause.

"You were… born a Star Warrior, Meta."

He knew it. He wasn't normal. He never was. A Star Warrior… Destined… to fight…? But… why… Why hadn't they…

"But… that's not all. Listen. Long ago, while the war raged on and on, the people started… to lose hope. Nightmare was too strong, they thought they would lose… Then, uhm… a legend started to be told among the Star Warriors. One of them, one day, would possess the powers of the stars, and with these powers, this warrior would… strike Nightmare down. Do you… uhm… Meta, do you understand what I'm… trying to tell you…?"

Why… Why hadn't they told him…? Fifty… Fifty years… They waited fifty years to tell him… They told him… he was normal…

"Meta…?"

 _Nah, you're pretty normal. You're weird, but there's nothing wrong with you._

"Meta, please, say something…"

 _T… There's nothing wrong with you… Doesn't matter what you hear… there's nothing wrong… with you…_ Then why… If nothing was wrong, why hadn't they told him sooner?! Why had they waited for him to be convinced he was normal?! He wasn't! He wasn't normal! Everyone knew! Everybody lied! His parents… lied… They had lied his whole life, they had known that… he would have… to fight this Nightmare… They lied…

"Meta, honey…"

His voice came back. And all he could say…

"Y… You lied to me…"

His father looked away, as if in pain. His mother's gaze went down, as if in regret. Meta felt something awful inside him. He stood up from the couch and his voice rose without his consent.

"You lied to me!"

"Meta, please, we'll explain, I promise-"

"You lied to me! For all this time!"

His parents were hurt, but he couldn't care less. He was even more.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Please, Meta, sit down…"

"No! Tell me now!"

"We couldn't!" his father exclaimed. " _I_ couldn't! Now please, sit down!"

"Honey, please," his mother tried to sound soothing, "sit down… I swear, we'll tell you everything, but please, calm down…"

"No! I'm not gonna! You're all just a bunch of liars! Telling me I'm normal! Telling me there's nothing wrong with me!"

Meta was crying by now, and he couldn't stop himself. He hiccuped, and he stepped back, away from his parents, who stood when they saw he was trying to get away. His mother held her hands forward, and through his tears, he could only see a blurry, disfigured and pained face that only made him step back more. His father tried to get closer, but Meta jumped back, exclaiming:

"Get away from me!"

Meta could barely see through the sea of tears taking over the lights of his eyes; he ran away from the living room, he heard the calls of his parents, their steps running after him, he made it to the hall, he saw blurry forms, people coming into the hall, he ignored them, their gasps of surprise, he ran through them, and collided into the doors. And he was outside.

Here, there were more gasps, more questions, 'Hey, are you alright?', 'What's wrong?', 'Why are you crying?'. But he only ran, even as his parents came out of the house, calling his name. He tripped and fell, scrapping his hands on the paved road, and everyone gathered around him, they tried to help him, they weren't kind, they had all lied, _every single one of them_. He only cried harder at the thought. Everyone had known, and everyone had lied… A hand touched him.

"Hey, Meta…"

He looked up, a messy, tear-stained face for all to see; he had been betrayed, and everyone could see it. His eyes were a deep blue sea of sorrow… Dragato was there, his godfather, another man who knew, another who lied. Meta sniffed loudly, erupting into another fit of hiccups and sobs he couldn't control. Everything felt like it was burning inside him, and he felt just _awful_ , he wanted to vomit, he was nauseous, please Nova make it stop.

"Meta!"

"Meta!"

His parents… He stood up promptly, briefly looking down at his scratched hands before turning around and looking at them. He stepped back immediately, making them stop in their tracks, and Az extended a hand as if to make him stop.

"Please, Meta, just… Just come back inside, we'll talk, I promise!"

"Keep away from me!" the boy shouted, his high-pitched, broken voice echoing into the Hollow like a raging bird. "You're liars! All of you!"

He choked here for a brief second and he cried some more before stomping his foot on the ground.

"You all lied to me!" he shouted to everyone around him, making them step back and look away, only deepening his wound. "You're all stinking liars!"

His father walked closer to him, keeping his hands forward.

"Please… Meta, stop…"

"No!" he yelled toward him, the worst of all of them. " _I hate you!_ "

Those words, they pained him more than anyone else that night, and the child broke down as soon as he spoke them. Az remained standing there, shocked, before attempting to speak some more, his own voice broken by this task turned wrong.

"Please, Meta, you don't mean…"

"Az, get down!"

Behind Meta, Dragato waved his arm, and everyone, Az included, immediately ducked down and splattered on the ground. Suddenly, a large, shining object came rushing right above the broken father, so fast no one was able to see what it was. Meta gave a short yelp when he was suddenly scooped up from the ground by this bright and sudden light, and next thing he knew, he was high above the ground and everyone was getting smaller and smaller, pointing fingers at him and calling him.

On the ground, Az called his son desperately as he watched helplessly as this light carried his child through the eye of the Hollow; soon, they both vanished on the surface, without another word. Silence then reigned upon the Hollow. The crowd didn't dare to say a word, didn't dare to move. Azure, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, prepared to run after him, but his old friend Dragato stopped him with a hand extended before him, making him stare at him. Dragato was the definition of calm and composed. Az, on the other hand, could barely hold it together. The older knight offered him a kind nod.

"You did what you had to," he told him. "And I'm proud of you for that."

"B-but he-"

"I'll take care of this. Don't worry. Go see Kia, she needs you."

Turning around, Az was pained to see his wife, crying in her sister's arms. Meta had never shouted, had never spoken such outrageous words, had never ran away from them… So sudden a change, they were both left shocked and wordless. Dragato put his hand on his shoulder, making him look back. His old friend, his brother, smiled warmly at him, and Az knew he would be able to take care of his son, now and always.

Without another word, Dragato turned and left, and the crowd made a path for him to head toward the stairs that lead to the surface…

* * *

Little Meta couldn't stop crying. He was afraid, confused and angry, all together in a terrible mixing pot that made his insides feel horribly awful. He couldn't do anything but cling to that strange light that had carried him away. Through his tears, he could barely see where he was, but he knew he was away from town and away from all these lying people, and that was what mattered to him right now. He was shivering so badly, he felt so cold, he just huddled in a tight ball, unable to think clearly.

And then, warmth.

Words, silent.

Kind words, whispered inside his mind.

He opened his teary eyes, surprised. The kind feeling came from below him… from that light. It was telling him not to cry… like his mama always did. No more tears, Meta. That light was so kind to him, he could only rub his eyes with his hands, trying to have a better look at what he was laying on. It's surface was so bright, so clean and pretty, it took him a moment to recognize it; it was his dearest star, his sweet, comforting, personal light, except it was much, much bigger than it used to be. His Warp Star made no sound as it carried him across the plains, a shooting star under the shade of the night.

Slowly, Meta stopped hiccuping. Softly, he stopped crying. He laid his head on his star, closing his eyes tightly.

It asked him where he wanted to go.

"Somewhere quiet," he whispered tiredly. "Please…"

And the star did as he asked, and it changed direction as soon as he finished speaking. The ride in itself was quiet; not even the usual nocturnal wildlife one would find out here at night was making any sound, as if respecting the child's wish for silence, and when the star entered the forest, the silence only deepened. They traversed the woods at a moderate speed, fast enough for Meta to have a slight, refreshing breeze cruise past him as they went. Eventually, the star did come to a stop, making Meta open his heavy eyes to see. They were at the Kabu statue…

At night, this place was so much different, so much less… eerie. As if they were being attracted to this sacred place, fireflies congregated all around the area, creating a constantly flickering cloud of small, flying lights. Some were bigger, slower, but shinier, and many others were settled on the Kabu's remains, lighting the ruins like a hundred glowing gems imbedded on its surface, creating moving lines and intricate designs all across. Here, the silence lasted still, even as the Warp Star slowly descended among the ruins, behind a wall of mossy stone into a fresh patch of night grass. Slowly getting back on his feet, Meta hopped off of the star's surface, and watched with great interest as it shrank back to its former, small form. Curious, he picked it back up and stared at it; its warmth was still there, reaching out to him, and it was as it engulfed him once more that the boy sat down in the grass, setting his back against the bricks of the wall.

He gave a sigh. He felt terrible still. He had never screamed at someone before, even less his own parents, and now his throat felt completely dry and closed for good. He didn't mean to say that he hated them. Of course he didn't hate them; he never could hate them, or anyone, for that matter. He just couldn't feel hate. But, he did feel betrayed, and that horrible feeling of having being lied to his whole life up until now made him think horrible things. Fifty years was a long time… To think he had been a Star Warrior this whole time… Could he even believe it? He wasn't even sure it was true. He wasn't even sure he understood what a Star Warrior was. Some soldier destined to fight a horrible villain far stronger than anything else in the Universe? If it was so important that he know, then why wasn't he told sooner…? Why did his parents hide it from him for fifty, long years…?

The more he thought of it, the more it explained. It explained at least why he felt different. He always knew he was different from his cousins, from his friends, from everyone else. But why go to the trouble of making him believe he was normal if he was clearly not? They called him a genius, a prodigy… Was that why? Only because he was born something he didn't know or didn't want to be? Were they even judging him for what he had done until now, or were they judging for what he was since birth? These questions far surpassed his young, confused mind, and the boy only found himself wallowing more in his own misery. He clung to his star tightly, and he couldn't stop a few more tears from falling down his cheeks. He felt… alone…

"Hey, Meta."

Surprised, he looked up and to the side; it was Dragato. He had walked passed the wall of stone and was now smiling down at him, still so kind, and he walked closer. Meta looked away.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

The boy shook his head, but still refused to look at him as the elder Kiridan sat to his right with a deep sigh. Meta still clutched his star in his arms, as if trying to hide it from his view, but Dragato didn't look at him either. From the corner of his eye, Meta could see him look around in silence. Now that he was here, the frogs had started singing in the bushes, in a beautiful chorus with the crickets and a distant owl in the trees, all singing together in a song of the night.

"How are you feeling?"

Meta didn't answer. He didn't want to talk. His throat hurt too much, he was afraid he would lose his voice. Dragato gave a soft chuckle.

"I knew I'd find you here. Even broken, Kabus can bring dreamers together. It remains a sanctuary all the same."

A sanctuary, Meta wondered. It explained why he always found himself here and why his star brought him here. What did he mean by 'dreamers'? Quiet still, Meta slowly turned his head enough to have a good look at him. Dragato looked serene, and once again as he stared at him, he had a feeling of familiarity, like something more was present between them. He looked back down. Maybe…

"…Are you… a Star Warrior too, Mister Dragato?"

Ah, good, his voice was still there. Although his throat felt like a dried up well, it was still there, even though it was quiet and a bit rusted.

"Yes, I am," Dragato smiled, nodding his head. "Did you feel it before you even knew?"

Meta simply gave a nod as an answer and looked down at his star.

"Do you have a star too?" he asked next, to which Dragato shook his head.

"No, I do not. As far as I know, you are the only one who does. Have you understood why?"

The boy shook his head too. He wasn't sure he understood much of what his parents told him, even though that story was implanted in his mind. He had heard it before, in another life perhaps, in the recesses of his mind, in the light of his star, but his youthful mind made him so terribly confused about it all. What was he supposed to understand?

"Did your parents tell you the full story?"

He looked down. He didn't really let them finish completely… His father had been greatly hesitant, and he had asked him if he was alright before finishing. Dragato took his silence as an answer, and said:

"Well then, I'll tell you. The war against Nightmare took a heavy toll on us Star Warriors. He was much stronger than we thought back then, when it all began, and a story of hope came to be among our ranks. It was a story about you. One day, when all hope would be lost, one remaining light would appear among us, and we came to call this light the Last Hope. We have been waiting for generations, for aeons even, until you were born, and all the signs were reunited. _You_ are this Last Hope, Meta. You can just take a look at your star and see it."

At his words, Meta felt more tears well up in his eyes. So he really was this Last Hope… He wasn't that surprised now that he could think more clearly, but it still made him feel very heavy.

"B-but," Meta started, sniffing and rubbing his eyes with his arm, "what am I supposed to do?"

Dragato looked down at him. He smiled.

"Right now? Just be yourself. It's more than enough, believe me, and it's all any of us can do."

Meta looked up at him through blurry tears, and he rubbed his eyes again, slightly confused. Himself? But how could he be himself when he didn't even fully understand _what_ he was? But Dragato only smiled, and the boy found comfort in his kind eyes…

"You know," Dragato started, looking ahead like looking through a window. "I was very young when I learned what I was. I must have been around five years old, or something like that. Back then, I was just told the concept. What a Star Warrior was, what a Star Warrior was supposed to do. Like you, I didn't fully understand it. I was just told I was destined to fight Nightmare and his creations in a never-ending war. That is what you were told, wasn't it?"

Meta nodded, and Dragato closed his eyes.

"Being a Star Warrior… there is something more to it. There is something more than just fighting monsters."

Meta looked at him quizzically. Something more? What did he mean? But, Dragato didn't elaborate much, and simply sighed. Without another word, he then put his hand back in his cape into his pockets, and he produced a small, packaged gift, which he handed over to him.

"Here," he said with a smile, "this is for you. I knew your parents would tell you about all of this tonight, so I wanted to give you your present afterward. I wrapped it a bit hastly, but I hope you like it."

Surprised, Meta took the gift in hand and stared at it for a moment before thanking him and beginning to unwrap it. The paper was directly wrapped around the object, so as soon as he tore it down, he could see it. It was a book; more like a novel, actually.

 _Tales of a Falling Star_ , by Dragato L. Penmanei.

With wide eyes, the boy looked up at the man, who only chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, almost shyly.

"It's the first book I wrote," he said. "It's a bit cheesy at times, and the writing could use a remaster, but it's my personal favourite. I thought you might like it."

Meta stared back down at the book, and he couldn't help but let that smile take over his face. What a cool gift! He turned back to him and offered him his best smile, despite every weight that currently sat on his small shoulders. Just talking to him felt like some were already lifting…

"Thank you very much! I'll read it."

"Heh," Dragato chuckled, "thank me later when you're done with it and tell me what you think then. And keep in mind, Meta. When I told you to be yourself, I meant it. You're not going to fight today, tomorrow, or the day after. Until you're ready, no one will force you to fight anyone. Do you understand me?"

Loosing his smile a bit, Meta looked back down at the book, but he nodded his head nonetheless.

"I was told about my fate when I was five," he continued. "You were told about yours when you reached fifty. You are… very important to the Universe, Meta."

He lost his smile completely. He didn't feel better hearing that…

"But… to your parents, you are infinitely more important."

He blinked. He didn't say a word, and just listened.

"When you were born, everyone saw all the stars of the Universe in your eyes, and they knew what you were destined to be. A legend, a young hero, like the main character of a novel. But, to your parents, you were and will always be their dear son. That is why they decided to keep this a secret from you."

Meta tightly grasped the book in his hands and sniffed a bit.

"I don't get it," the boy mumbled. "I don't get why they lied to me…"

Dragato looked back at him, and smiled, as always.

"It was to protect you, of course."

The boy looked up at his elder, mouth slightly agape.

"Protect me from what?" he asked, oblivious.

Dragato's smile turned nostalgic at this moment, and the man gave a nod, closing his eyes for a short moment.

"From yourself. You see, I was made aware of myself at five years old. My childhood consisted of me, training, day after day, training and studying to be a worthy Star Warrior. I had to know everything, and I thought I wouldn't have time. I barely made friends, save for your parents when we were younger, and I barely saw myself growing. It felt like… from one day to the next, I was already a soldier, without age. Your parents saw me go through this, and I suppose I'm right in saying that they didn't want this for you. They wanted you to live your childhood to the fullest, so you would keep good memories of your first fifty years. I agreed with that plan, and the Galaxy Soldier Army instructed them to still push you toward important studies and knowledge, so you wouldn't be left behind when the time came. The whole village was in on that. I can see they held their part of the deal."

Meta took in a deep breath when he was done talking. So much to take in all at once… So… his parents had a reason to lie to him? They wanted him to have friends, and grow like a normal kid… not like a soldier off for battle. Maybe he should have listened more to what they had to say… He crossed his brows and grunted a bit. Now he felt silly for throwing a fit like that… but they had hurt him! They had lied to him! Did he have the right to be mad at them for that, and yet still be grateful for keeping his childhood safe? He didn't know how to feel now… But… he _was_ feeling pretty tired too… With this whirlpool of emotions taking over him so suddenly, he felt ready to just straight up go to sleep and maybe never wake up.

"Are you mad at your parents, Meta?" Dragato asked him, making him blink to bring awakening back into his eyes.

He shook his head. No, he wasn't mad at them. He knew it. He was just disappointed that they had hidden something so big from him, but now, he felt like he understood a bit better… but he would need to hear it from them to be sure.

"That's good. Your parents love you dearly, Meta. Do you love them back?"

He immediately nodded his head. Yes, he did love them, very much. That, he had never doubted, no matter how angry they had made him feel. Slowly, Meta blinked, and he felt himself fall a bit to the side, where he let his head fall on Dragato's arm. The man looked down at him and chuckled, before leaning in a little.

"Are you tired?" he asked, only to him give a tiny nod. "Are you ready to go back home? Or do you want to wait here a bit more? It _is_ pretty peaceful here, after all."

The small child leaned a bit more into his arm and wrapped his own around him, clinging to him almost shyly.

"I wanna go back home," he mumbled. "I need to say sorry…"

Dragato smiled at his words, thinking about how noble this young boy was, and gently coaxed him into standing up. Still clinging to the book and his star with one hand gluing the objects to his cheek, Meta held the elder knight's hand as they both walked away from the singing chorus of the woods, back onto the plains and onto the road back home.

When they did make it back and they descended the staircase into the village, Dragato wasn't surprised to see that the crowd was still present. The guests had been worried for Meta, and when they arrived back down into town, they were surrounded by relieved and happy faces, ones that surprised the young boy in a strange way. He didn't think he'd worry anyone that much, but, then again, with the way he left, there was actually nothing to be surprised of.

What surprised him the most, however, was what awaited him when they made it back to the manor. The whole family was outside; the whole lot of them. The first ones to run toward him and exclaim his name were his favourite cousins; Galacta and his little sister Ada. Galacta reached him first and the first thing he did was punch him in the arm, making him squeal in surprise.

"What's the big idea, running off like that?!" his cousin exclaimed with his cheeks all puffed up and red, making Meta smile a bit. "You had everyone worry 'bout you, shorty! Don't ever do that! And don't give me that smile, it wasn't funny!"

"That exit was really cool though," Ada said with a wide grin. "I didn't know your star could do that!"

That comment made Meta giggle a bit, and he mumbled:

"Me neither…"

He quickly lost focus on those two and the others walking toward them however, for behind them, he saw his parents, running their way and calling his name. Meta quickly let go of Dragato's hand and, without a second thought, ran toward them. He jumped into their arms and they entered a long and warm embrace. His mother squeezed him so tightly in her arms as she cried his name, but Meta didn't complain; he hugged her just as hard, feeling new tears run down his cheeks. While his mother showered him in kisses, his father held them both, his forehead against his son's head, and Meta felt so much love from them that he didn't know what to say or what to do, except hug them tight and never let go.

"Oh, Meta," his mother cried as she cradled him. "My sweet, sweet baby Meta… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry too," Meta answered, squeezing his cheek against hers as he hiccuped again. "I didn't mean it, I don't hate you…"

"It's alright," she responded immediately, rocking him and herself into his father's embrace. "It's alright, we know you didn't… We love you so much, Meta…"

Meta felt more tears fall down and he couldn't stop himself from sobbing out, but not out of sadness or anger. He was just happy.

"I love you too, Mama, Papa…"

Meta let himself be held for a long moment. He was just happy, and very tired, so tired he could just fall asleep right there and then. He was vaguely aware of being held off of the ground and into her mother's arms, and he heard his father say:

"Let's go back inside…"

As they headed off, Meta lifted his face over his mother's shoulder and stared at the relieved crowd they were leaving behind, and particularly at Dragato, who smiled once more at him. Meta smiled back, and he wasn't even aware of his eyes changing colours to a light, shimmering blue as pure and beautiful as a cloudless sky.

Truly, despite the disappointments, despite the truth and despite everything else, Meta was happy. From now on, life would be much, much different, and he could only close his eyes on this life he was leaving behind, just like he had left behind the crowd of his fiftieth birthday.


	6. The Copy Abilities

**Author's note: From this chapter on, the pace of the story will pick up. This story was off to a slow start I feel, but I really wanted to make sure I put all the necessary foundations before diving into the hot stuff. Thank you all for being patient! Have a good read, and don't forget to leave a review on the way!**

* * *

A hundred years passed.

And Meta grew, with the knowledge of what was to come etched onto his mind. The boy cast away his innocence, and grew in ways none of the other children of his generation did. From the moment he learned of what he was and what he was to do in the future, Meta was never quite the same. As he grew, he became more distant, and rarely did he ever speak of how he felt on the matter. He remained ever so quiet, and for many, it felt like Meta had no ambitions, no dreams. He did what he was told to do, when he was told to do it, and wouldn't question it. Still, the young boy would continue his studies and would continue to grow, in his own, strange ways.

When he hit his hundredth birthday, his uncle Ano began to teach swordplay to both him and Galacta, claiming that, in this day and age, now that they knew what was in play outside of their little Hollow, they needed to learn how to defend themselves, and swordplay was one of the many ways they could. They were old enough to old a sword or glaive, and they were both already quite fit, so Ano took this opportunity. Needless to say, both Meta and Galacta were excellent fencers, and they both learned quickly and efficiently about offensive and defensive stances, how to develop strategies during combat, and they of course honed their acrobatic skills.

Soon after Meta began these particular lessons, his father began to bring him into the forest to hunt with him. Az was amongst the best trappers and hunters of the village, and now that Meta was old enough to accompany him, he decided to teach him everything he knew. Meta learned how to effectively track down animals far into the woods by analyzing his environment; following tracks, keeping on to the animal's trail, moving through the bushes without making noise, and finally taking down the beast effectively. The more time passed, the more proud Az became of his son; he was learning so fast, it was like these things were already implanted into his mind. Of course, Az had never doubted that Meta would be able to assimilate these things, and at least, teaching him what he knew was one way of making up for his mistake.

Meta had never brought his fiftieth anniversary up again in any conversation, and though he didn't seem to hold any kind of grudge against his parents or the villagers, Az was still paranoid and often tried to make up for it, be it with new lessons and knowledge, or by taking him along in travels around Khazta Star, along with his mother. With a child as quiet as Meta, it was hard to know what he was thinking or what he was feeling toward someone, and even as their parents, Az and Kia still found it difficult to understand him. They loved him deeply nonetheless, and made sure that Meta _knew_ that he was loved. It was the least they could do to make up for their mistake. And for Meta, it was enough.

It was sometime during this long century of learning and training, that Meta made the biggest discovery of his lifetime about himself…

A discovery that changed everything and made him into something more, something he didn't like nor appreciated – a weapon.

After this particular discovery, Meta changed drastically. As people viewed him more and more as a hero, as stories of his name leaked out of the village and out of Khazta Star, and as the far reaches of the galaxy whispered his name in hopes of seeing the nightmare come to an end… Meta refused. It came as a shock to the villagers, and his parents especially, when one day, after receiving a comment about his future exploits in the war from a friend, Meta said the following words:

 _"I don't care about this war."_

He did not want to go, and though some thought they understood why it was the case, many others expressed their worry that Meta's doubts might 'ruin it all' and even complained directly to his parents. Poor Kia and Az did not know what to respond; after all, their son was as cryptic as ever and would not give a reason as to why he wouldn't go. Despite this change in attitude, he and his cousin still continued to train and grow, and still Galacta would try to understand his oh so strange cousin… Despite the boy's doubts, hope remained.

* * *

 _And suddenly, the demon crashed its massive clawed hands on the ground, smashing the soil with its brute force alone, and it screeched at the warrior a most terrible scream, one that would shake the bones of anyone in range. However, the warrior stood tall, unaffected by this display, and drew his own blade, ready to fight this creature._

 _"I will kill you!" the bull demon shouted through the gurgling sound of the blood flowing out of its gigantic maws, and it ran forward with a terrifying roar._

 _The earth shook with each of its steps, but the warrior did not waver and he ran forward as well. The two enemies swung at the same time, and all it took was a unique slash. They both found themselves on either sides, their back turned from each other, and time stood still… And then, the demon gave a shocked gurgle, and it tried to straighten itself, but all it could do was try and hold its own guts in as its cleanly cut stomach drew out a sudden gush of blood. It fell forward with a heavy grunt, and the warrior carefully walked to its side, his sword glinting in a ray of sunshine that pierced its way through the heavy foliage of the forest. The demon turned its head toward him, and its glowing red eyes widened as it looked him from head to toe._

 _"How?!" it growled in a long wail. "How were you able to defeat me?! A nameless knight is nothing! Nothing!"_

 _It grunted again and coughed, before looking back up at him, slowly coming to accept that its time drew near._

 _"Who are you?" it asked in a low growl._

 _The knight planted his sword into the ground before him and stood tall as he looked down at his defeated enemy. He smirked._

 _"I am not a nameless knight," he spoke up clearly. "I am the defender of this star and its guardian. I protect it and the ones I love from the likes of you. My name is…"_

"Meta! Oy!"

The boy had sunk so deeply into his book that when he heard his name being called, he gave a slight jump and came stumbling right back into reality. He escaped the forest he had been in, he escaped the warrior's skin he had inhabited and he escaped the dying demon he had just slain, and flew back atop the sunstruck hill he always stayed at, under the shade of a giant tree as old as he. Laying on his back on a small cover over the grass, he looked away from the book he was holding above his head and to the side, munching on a piece of long grass he had put in his mouth. Down the hill, he saw his older cousin, Galacta, waving up at him. He was not alone, but Meta could not recognize the boy that was with him. Was he from another village?

As they came closer up the hill, Meta was able to have a good look at him. He was a Kiridan, winged just like Galacta, with a very flashy emerald green colour for his skin yet soft, smoky purple eyes that complimented his colour perfectly. The wings tucked on his back were colored and spotted like a hawk's, marking quite the difference with Galacta's clean, spotless dove wings. The outfit he was wearing was what made Meta squint his eyes a bit. Decorated leather shoulder pads, brown leather boots with a metal covering on top, a yellow star badge on his right shoulder… He knew where he came from, at least.

Without answering or standing up, Meta remained on his back and watched them come up to him, moving the piece of grass from one side of his mouth to the other.

"I knew I'd find you out here," Galacta spoke as they arrived, before gesturing toward the other boy. "This guy here wanted to see you."

Meta observed him some more, without saying a word. The familiar aura he could feel around him wasn't lying; this was another Star Warrior. He must have been maybe a century older than him, at most. A bit closer to Galacta's age, but still older. It was hard to calculate age when your species lived for aeons without their bodies changing in a single way. The boy ignored the blank stare he was giving him and only sent his way a bright smile, straightening himself up a bit as he introduced himself very proudly. It sounded like he had practiced this speech a thousand times before saying it.

"Hey there!" he started with a wave of his hand before bringing it to himself. "My name's Arthur, of Ripple Star. I'm Lady Harkim's apprentice and assistant. I'm sorry to bother you while you were reading, but my master is currently waiting to see you down at your village, and it would be an honour if you would follow me to her. There are many things she would like to discuss with you."

Obviously, this guy was excited to be here. His wings wouldn't stop quivering and he was speaking rather quickly, unless that was his usual way to talk. His eyes were glowing in excitement, and Meta could see there was much he was holding back from saying to him. However, Meta already knew what answer he would give him, and he turned back to his book, munching on his piece of grass.

"I'm not interested."

The boy Arthur lost his smile in an instant, and Galacta rolled his eyes, giving a scoff before turning away and putting his hands on his hips.

"Here we go again…," he mumbled, while the other green boy was searching for his words.

"W… What?" he ended saying, appalled. "Not interested? What do you mean? Lady Harkim is-"

"I know who Lady Harkim is, and I told you I'm not interested," Meta retorted in the same, neutral tone of voice.

"But!" Arthur tried again, lifting his arms helplessly at his sides. "Lady Harkim made the whole journey from the GSA HQ just to see you! And you would just turn her down like that?"

"Once again," Meta spoke, "I am not interested. I'm not interested into meeting your master, and I'm not interested in your war. Now just leave me, please."

For a long moment, the green lad remained standing there, utterly quiet. Maybe that now that he had nothing more to say, he would leave him alone and he would be able to go back to reading. He was just reaching the best part, and he would immerse himself right back into the story if those two weren't standing there gawking at him. However… from the corner of his eye, he saw Arthur take a few steps toward him, closing the distance between them. That move made him turn his eyes back to him, looking as indifferent as ever. But that guy, oh, he wasn't indifferent. He looked like Meta had just insulted his whole family, and the air he exuded was far different than the playful and joyful one from the first words he had spoken. He was far more resolute. Arthur went down on one knee and put his fist on the ground, looking directly at him as he spoke the next words.

"I was told countless stories about you," he said slowly, each word engraving itself into the blue Star Warrior's mind. "Stories from back home, from my parents when I was just a kid, to the stories about you from the army ranks. Everyone's talking about you. You haven't done anything, yet you're already a hero. We all heard about the incredible things you can do already, about your awesome powers and everything. You've been my inspiration since I started my training. Heck, even from before that! You've been my hero! This whole time, I imagined you as a big, proud warrior that wouldn't turn down an offer from the leader of the Galaxy Soldier Army… But what I'm looking at is not that. You're telling me you're not interested? You just don't care about all this? If you feel the fate of the Universe doesn't concern you, then you're right, I should just leave you alone. Only real Star Warriors and heroes actually _do_ care about this war, anyway."

He stood back up, casting down one last disappointed glance at him before turning away with a whisk of his wings and walking away, saying:

"Have fun reading your book. At least, you got good tastes in authors."

And off he went, leaving a shocked Galacta behind. His cousin looked back at him and shook his head.

"You're being a little bitch, shorty, you know that?" he threw out before turning away as well and leaving after the green lad.

And Meta was left alone, just like he wanted. Finally, silence and peace. Slowly, he turned back to his book, and tried to resume to where he left off…

 _"I am not a nameless knight," he spoke up clearly. "I am the defender of this star and its guardian. I protect it and the ones I love from the likes of you. My name is…"_

He stopped. His heart wouldn't stop beating loudly in his chest and into his ears, and he couldn't focus on anything.

 _"I am the defender of this star and its guardian…"_

A defender… A guardian… Wasn't it what people expected him to be? Wasn't it what he had trained to be? But, did he have to be the defender of this _whole_ Universe and all of its inhabitants' hopes and dreams…? Maybe he could make it clear to that woman that he had no interest in taking place in this war. He just wanted to stay here, in his home, with his family, and pursue his own dreams. Even though… What were his dreams? What did he dream to be? A warrior? A writer? A hunter? A protector? It all came back to being a Star Warrior… He frowned, and lifted his hand to rub between his eyes. What a pain all of this was… If only he hadn't followed his instincts, thirty years ago…

* * *

It had been a day like all the rest. Thirty years ago, during the winter of that year, Meta and Galacta had been training under the supervision of their parents and a few other adults. Under the falling snow of the Eye of the Hollow, under these slow, gentle specks of descending white powder, the two brothers sparred with all of their might.

Ano had called this a friendly combat. They were allowed to use real swords and weapons and whoever wasn't able to fight anymore won. Obviously, such a style of practice was prone to bring up injuries, which was why so many were keeping a close eye on that fight, but it also offered a good spectacle, and many villagers were outside surrounding their battle arena floating in the middle of the lake. In just a few, short years of training, they had become so skilled, so quickly, that everyone stood amazed at the show of moves that took place on the lake. They jumped, ducked, rolled, dodged, they danced, they swung, they battled, and it was hypnotizing to watch. While Meta stuck to a simple glaive to fight, Galacta used a wide array of weapons, ranging from his own blade to knives and even a small, wooden shield. Using his wings, the pink boy would jump high into the air and dive right in on Meta, who would use his speed to dodge and strike back. They would leap at each other, encasing themselves in a locked stance before breaking it and resuming the dance in a flurry of slashes.

"Amazing!" they could hear from the gathered crowd in astonished awes.

Even their classmates were gathered there, and each were calling to both of them, mixing their names into one, loud roar of excitement.

"They're both excellent," they heard an elderly hunter comment to their teacher, who only laughed and exclaimed:

"Of course they're excellent! They're of the Khano clan! We only breed real warriors here!"

"Do it, Galacta! Beat him!"

"Go for it, Meta! You can do it!" their classmates were still calling.

And the fight took a drastic turn.

It happened so fast, anybody who blinked would have missed it.

With a quick, strong upward slash of his glaive, Meta disarmed Galacta of his weapon, causing the magenta boy to jump back. As he did, Meta sprung forward, ready to take a hit on him, opening his mouth with a war cry, but Galacta drew a knife from his belt, and threw it at his cousin with all of his might, in one, straight line.

It was at that time that Meta's mind froze. It suspended itself in time, and everything slowed down. A fraction of a second felt like years, and he watched that knife, coming right for him, with no way of blocking it, and all he saw, was that knife. Something inside him sprung to life; it sprouted, grew tall and strong, flourished inside his mind, and it told him… Take it. Take it. Take it.

And the knife dove right inside his opened mouth.

Meta gasped and immediately fell to the ground, causing gasps and shouts to erupt within the crowd, and Galacta quickly ran to him, calling his name in sudden worry and fear. However, even as Meta held his throat and expected to feel the knife plant itself in the back of his mouth and blood to gush out and himself to choke… he felt no such thing. His instincts were screaming at him; take it! Take it! _Swallow it!_

And he swallowed the knife down in one, loud gulp.

The boy then felt a sudden surge of tremendous energy spread through him and his body was suddenly encased in a glorious white glow, one that made Galacta step back, shielding his eyes from the light while everyone stood mouth agape, frozen in their stance. Then, the light vanished, leaving soft trails of glowing dust emanating from Meta's transformed body. He was completely different. He was wearing some strange, completely new armour, emerald green shoulder pads with silver and gold trims and decorations, as well as a long, green hat on his head. A silver star glowed on his forehead, calling to everyone around with its bright light. Meta could only look down at himself in shock, and he was even more surprised to find a brand new sword in his right hand; one made of a strange, golden metal that shone in the winter light of noon.

Meta could not believe his eyes, or what he was feeling. This power felt both very familiar and stranger to him; like he had known he could do that, but did not at the same time. He looked up slowly at his cousin, and their shocked expressions were the very same.

"Meta! Meta!" they both heard from the shore from the crowd that had gathered there.

Uncle Ano jumped from his perch all across the lake and onto the battle arena and quickly went to check on Meta, trying to mask his shock with his worry. The adult looked his nephew over, incapable of prying his eyes off of that strange, magical armour.

"Are… Are you okay?" he asked, to which Meta could only nod his head.

"Y-yeah… I…," Meta paused.

The power he felt rushing through him, from every inch of his body, told him everything he needed to know, everything he already knew, and everything the stars had given him. The power he had… was infinite.

"I feel great," he said, looking up at his uncle with glowing white eyes. "I-I've never felt like this… I feel like I can take on an entire army!"

And he probably could…

"Do you want to stop?" Ano asked him, but Meta shook his head and looked down at his sword.

"I want to try this out," he said. "I feel stronger than ever!"

With a concerned look still stuck to his face, Ano looked back at his own son, who stood still shocked and stared at his cousin.

"Galacta? What about you? Can you keep up?"

Galacta tore his eyes away from his cousin and brother and quickly nodded his head, swallowing and answering:

"Yeah! I wanna see that ability in play, it looks awesome!"

"Alright then," Ano sighed, before stepping back. "When you're ready… Fight!"

He leaped off of the battle arena, and the two young warriors leaped at each other once again…

It took Meta thirty seconds to win the duel.

* * *

Meta gave a deep sigh and closed his book. He wouldn't get back into this, not right now. He would know the warrior's name another time. For a moment, he stared at the sky, his gaze blank with heavy thoughts. He knew why the Galaxy Soldier Army was here. They wanted to test him, to see if he was ready. But, Meta knew why they wanted him, him out of all the other possible Star Warriors out there…

His power.

His power attracted many, if only for the spectacle it gave, but also for the strength it offered – especially for its strength… Over the years, as he mastered this power, Meta understood quickly what it made him, how people started viewing him as. A weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. The army wanted a weapon, not a century old Kiridan boy. Not _Meta_. And that was what angered Meta more than anything. He couldn't blame them, but he didn't want to be part of them only under the title of a weapon. If he was to join them, it would be as Meta! Nothing more, nothing less!

Sitting up on the cover, Meta looked down the hill. Arthur and Galacta were already far down there, heading back to town. He stared at Arthur's back, at the pattern on his feathers. This guy… didn't see him as a weapon, though… He called him a hero. An inspiration. Even long before Meta was born, the stories about him drove this young lad to join the cause, to stand up before the nightmare and defend the dream. This green lad… was different. Meta's gaze softened.

He stood up with a quiet sigh, left his book up on the hill on his cover, and began to walk down the hill. He walked slowly, quite normally, far from a rush, and despite the distance between them, it seemed that Arthur's sensory skills were telling him to look back; and so he did, along with Galacta, and they both looked at him as Meta casually walked toward them. Arthur's eyes lit up, and the smirk that painted his face told him he knew he would have come, but Meta paid him no mind, and simply walked ahead of them, without a word. Behind him, he heard Galacta snicker and say:

"I told you he'd come."

Meta did not say anything and simply walked on the way toward home, across this wind-swept field of sun struck green grass. Why did such a beautiful day have to be ruined with these GSA people coming here? Wherever they went, they cast a shadow on his world, and he didn't like it one bit. Maybe it was his job to turn that shadow into a light… Maybe… just maybe… he was overreacting, even just a little…? He kept that possibility in mind, but his stubbornness just came back over it and he repeated to himself that he was not interested in meeting that woman for any purpose, and he would make it clear.

They walked all the way back to the staircase that descended on the Hollow, and all the way through he could hear Arthur and Galacta chatting in the back. He noted how amazed Arthur was at the landscape and the placement of the village, saying things like:

"I've never quite seen something like this. I guess it makes for a really good hiding spot, though! It must be hard to spot this town without knowing it's there."

"Yeah," Galacta responded, "some travellers are pretty lost when they're looking for the town. That's why we have some scouts out here all the time."

They began to descend the stairs, and Meta kept his slow, casual pace, munching more and more on his piece of grass. He wasn't nervous, he told himself. He was more aggravated than anything else. He would get this done with, and he would be able to go back to reading. He would finally know the name of that warrior! It had been a mystery since the start of the book, and those guys had come at such a bad timing.

When they arrived at the level of the town, Meta wasn't surprised to see the buzzing crowd surrounding the GSA soldiers in front of the Elder's house. There were five of them. Four looked like simple bodyguards, dressed humbly in black and dark blue with their weapons visible; a sword at their belt, and a large gun attached to their back. Each of them were of differing species, two of which were Kiridan hybrids; impure bloods, as they were called. The other two were of a tall, common humanoid species, but with such differing traits that Meta could only tell they weren't the same thing. Finally, the last one was the one he had been expecting.

Lady Harkim.

He had heard a lot about her, but had never seen her in person. In his life, he had only met with her representatives, soldiers or generals sent on her name to verify his growth. Now, to see the real thing only made him scowl. He wouldn't let himself be impressed by that lady!

She was very different from the rest of them. From what he had read about her, she came from a very far away world that had been destroyed long ago by Nightmare, a star that counted among the first victims of the Dream War, a star whose name had long been forgotten. This star's citizens still lived, it seemed, scattered in small groups across the galaxies, fighting to survive; and this woman, the great leader of the Galaxy Soldier Army, was one of them.

She was tall, with a humanoid shape like the others, but her skin seemed as smooth and pale as a moon stone, with so many hues in odd places that kept moving and morphing as she moved that she looked translucent. Her head was adorned not with hair, but with long, moving veil-like fins that danced along with long tendrils that moved like antennas, all of which was wrapped nicely into a tall ponytail. She had a young, sharp face that constantly lied about her age, with elegant, hypnotizing eyes that were so deeply dark and filled with stars that anyone could have been trapped inside her gaze. Her species was as ancient as his own, and Meta could feel it just looking at her.

His parents and the Elder were speaking with her before they arrived, but when the crowd parted to let them pass, they all turned to him. His parents smiled, and so did she, but they were so differing in intentions that Meta only stared back, watching as Arthur walked next to him and gave a salute to his master.

"My Lady, here he is, like you asked. Although…," he paused here, casting a short, contempt glance at him before looking back and continuing. "He doesn't seem to be interested in speaking with you, master."

"Oh," the lady said with her melodious and hypnotizing voice, turning her body toward them and taking a few steps forward, her hands linked in her back. "Is that so? Then why did you come here, boy?"

Meta munched a bit harder on his piece of grass, scowling a bit more.

"To let you know I'm not participating in your war," he called out loud enough so everyone could hear and scratch it in their heads. "I'm not interested in being used as a weapon by you people just because of my powers."

A rumour spread out among the crowd, murmurs and whispers slowly raising up in tone and noise. All the while, Lady Harkim stared at him, her deep eyes not betraying her thoughts. She smirked slightly, then closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"I see," she spoke softly. "If that's how you feel, then I understand and I will not complain. Instead, I will be completely honest with you."

Her eyes opened once more and she looked serious.

"It's true there are people among the army ranks who only see you as a growing weapon. Over the years, all they've asked about you is how your powers are growing and how close you are to joining us. Of course, the more they ask, the farther you get from us. Don't think I haven't noticed that."

Just as Meta's scowl turned into a frown, her gaze softened, and she lifted her chin a bit, her lips stretching a bit into a smile.

"However, not everyone is like that. There's a good deal of people who do not see you as a weapon amongst us, but rather as a future comrade. As an inspiration."

Slowly, subtly, Meta's eyes slid over to Arthur at his side, but he quickly looked back at her, doing his best to keep his expression from changing too much. An inspiration, huh…

"And, I am happy to count myself among these people," she continued with a smirk. "Yes, I came here on behalf of the Galaxy Soldier Army to see how much you've progressed; not only your powers, but as a person. I heard you were doing very good in school and that you had a good load of friends. I also heard you and your cousin Galacta were progressing very well with the sword, which is something I would like to see for myself. Now, of course, not everyone thinks like that, but that is life, boy. Not everyone will be on your side and not everyone will view you as you want them to. It is up to you to change their minds about you. You don't want to be a weapon? Fine. Then don't be. Be yourself, and let these old senile general geezers know that you are Meta of Khazta Star."

At her final words, some of her bodyguards almost cracked up with retained laughs, while Arthur almost flinched at how she talked about the other generals. Meta's expression, despite himself, changed. He stared at this woman for a long time, repeating her words in his head. He had to admit, she did have a point… He was fairly surprised, too, for he had thought that everyone thought of him as nothing more than a weapon. That's what he had seen over the years, with all the generals and commanders coming here only to see his skills and abilities. Her eyes did not lie; she was frank with him, just like she had said. There _were_ people out there who thought of him as a person… however short in numbers they were…

"Now," she spoke up, bringing his attention back to her, "I know this may sound sudden and you may not be in the mood for this, but it is getting late, and I would like to see your abilities in play before dinner. Would you mind showing me?"

This lady… The vibe that emanated from her was completely different now. She was a Star Warrior he could trust, just like Sir Dragato. And so, it was with a small scoff that Meta took a few steps forward, saying:

"Yeah, I guess."

All he did was so sudden not everyone understood what he had done; he simply swallowed the piece of grass he already had in his mouth. Suddenly, he was wrapped in a bright light that engulfed him and the ground he stood on, only for a few, short seconds. When the light subsided, a familiar hat adorned his head; it was comprised of large, green leaves, seemingly only stuck to his head by some force, with a large, glowing green jewel on his forehead, lined with gold. His hands were covered in leaves as well, and where he stood, the grass suddenly grew in a large tuff, along with flower buds that bloomed in mere seconds, wrapping around his feet with vines and sprouts. Around him, the crowd applauded and cheered loudly and Arthur visibly gasped and stepped back, but Meta only stared at Lady Harkim, watching her eyes widen slightly at the transformation, followed by her smirk lengthening as well. She nodded her head, crossing her arms on her chest.

"I see you have more abilities than what was listed," she commented.

Meta couldn't stop a little smirk and he put his hand on his hip, adopting a relaxed stance.

"The more I practice, the more I find, and the more I train, the faster I can transform."

"Perfect," Lady Harkim spoke, giving another nod. "Now, can you show me what this one does?"

And Meta lifted his hand, ready to show what he was made of, and ready to let her know he wasn't just a weapon. A flurry of leaves suddenly appeared as if from nowhere and surrounded him, dancing around him like a growing tornado, forming almost a shield of green around him. Suddenly, he sent the leaves straight into the sky, and they exploded in a wild expansion of leaves that turned into a rainfall of green. Each leaf then slowly turned a bright, lively pink, as if they had fallen from a thousand cherry trees floating overhead, and they fell and fluttered toward the ground, much to the amusement and astonishment of the villagers. While the children ran around in amazement, laughing and clapping as they jumped and bounced together to catch the pretty petals, Meta struck both of his hands on the ground, and suddenly, roots produced from the soil with so much strength they took everyone around by surprise. They grew exponentially in size and form and twisted themselves like flesh. They transformed and grew into wide and elegant arcs above Meta and extended intimidating branches like hands toward Lady Harkim, who did not move one inch, not even when her bodyguards surrounded her, keeping a close eye on those branches.

Slowly, the growth came to a stop just as the hands were about to touch her face, and then, as silence fell once more on the town, sprouts began to appear on the branches, and as everyone around watched in astonishment, the growths became wide, bushy trees with green, lively leaves. Among those leaves, flowers began to sprout from button buds as well; white, beautiful flowers, and one of them grew right in front of Lady Harkim. It extended its stem toward her, bringing itself closer to her as if a gift opening itself for her, and the alien smiled before chuckling. Plucking the flower to smell it, she walked around the tree, only to see Meta straighten himself up.

"Not bad," she said, twirling the flower in her fingers. "You certainly know how to control your abilities. How do you call this one?"

"The Leaf," Meta responded simply.

"Noted. I hope you have others like this one that can make beautiful landscapes such as this. It's quite different from all of those destructive ones, don't you think?"

And as Meta discarded the Leaf ability and reverted back to his normal self, he repeated those words again in his head. For some reason, they sounded… haunting…

* * *

This evening, Lady Harkim and her entourage were invited to stay for dinner with the Elder and the Khano family, so she could learn more about the young Star Warrior's growth and his own people. This was a very important meeting, for the population of Kiridans was thinning out faster than they had thought, and with all of the hybrids out there, meeting an entire pure-blooded family and settlement made for some very interesting intel and observations. The long table of the dinning room was completely filled with all the members of the family, uncles, aunts, elders, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, of many branches of the family. Sitting nearby Meta's parents, Lady Harkim was listening to Uncle Ano's stories about his son and Meta and how well they were learning, mostly trying to praise his own son as well as he did, while Arthur sat right next to her, delighted to savour all of these meals spread on the table before him. Those were some traditional Kiridan meals, and as a Kiridan who had grown on a star of fairies, he had never tasted such things, and so he took great pleasure in taking a bite out of everything. This one tasted salty, while whatever this was was as spicy as one could hope, and whatever this other thing was was so sweet he wanted more of it! And those drinks were so good!

Eventually, the green lad looked up from his plate and across him, driven by curiosity; Meta's chair was empty, and so was his plate. He hadn't seen him leave, and so he was surprised; where was he? He looked around the table, but there wasn't a single trace of a deep blue Kiridan out there other than Meta's father. How odd… Then, he felt a hand on his right arm, making him turn to the side, to Meta's little cousin Ada. She had her littlest sister in her arms, a tiny babbling thing named Mel, and Ada smiled up at him as she held her sister in her lap.

"He's on the roof," she whispered to him. "He's feeling a bit down…"

Arthur thanked her with a nod, and looked to the other side, searching for the attention of one of the adults nearby. It was Meta's mother who turned to look at him, and he smiled at her shyly, before asking:

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but where can I find the bathroom?"

Kia smiled warmly at this young boy and pointed toward one of the dinning room's entrances, saying:

"You'll find it just down this hallway, third door to your right. There's a sign on it, you can't miss it."

Arthur bowed his head as thanks and quietly left the table after obtaining Lady Harkim's approval, and headed straight in the direction he was told. However, as soon as he was out of anyone's sight, he took a turn in the hallway and subtly headed toward the main hall. Once he was outside in the fresh night air, he was welcomed by a relieving silence… However, it lasted for only a short time, for he heard music coming from above. Lifting his head, he moved away from the manor far enough to see where it came from; a window, up above in the higher floors, was opened. On the roof underneath that window, was Meta, staring down at a book. He really liked to read, huh? With a smirk, Arthur opened his wings and took to the air silently; he only needed to beat them a few flaps before he was high enough, and he perched on the roof, making Meta look up from his book.

It was only with a shy wave of his hand that Arthur walked up to sit next to him, without a word. After their first meeting, they hadn't exchanged other words, and Arthur felt really bad about this. The stories about Meta had always fascinated him as a child, and even as he joined the army ranks and he heard about Meta himself and how awesome and strong he was, he had built himself an idea of him that was far from the truth, although, not as much as he had thought. It turned out that Meta was, indeed, younger than him, and still a child. He hadn't gone through the army, he hadn't gone through battles yet, he had done nothing but grow, at his own pace, with the idea that everyone saw him as a weapon. Arthur, like Lady Harkim, wasn't such one, and he admired Meta still, in a different light.

He looked toward him; Meta was looking down at his book, but he wasn't reading. He had closed it, and was now staring at the cover page. It was the same book as earlier. _Tales of a Falling Star_. Arthur smiled; at least, they had the same tastes in books!

"Do you know Sir Dragato?" the green lad asked, breaking the silence between them as the music coming from Meta's room reverberated in the air around them, like dancing notes. "He talks a lot about you, you know."

Those words made Meta look up, as if taken by surprise, as if he had forgotten that he was here, and he looked back at him for a few seconds before staring back down. He gave a simple nod.

"Yeah, he's my godfather. He's a friend of the family, so he comes here when he can. He's pretty much like an uncle to me. You said earlier I had good tastes in authors. Did you mean this?"

He gestured toward the book, and Arthur chuckled.

"Yeah! Sir Dragato's a really good writer, though I haven't read this one yet."

Meta smirked a bit, his eyes shining like beacon in the low light of the night.

"It's his first book," he explained. "He gave it to me on my fiftieth birthday. I must have read it a thousand times, but every time I read it again, it's like it's the first time."

"So I take it you like it," Arthur chuckled, making Meta laugh a bit.

"Just a little," Meta answered. "It's cheesy, it's very different from his later works, and it could use a rewriting, but… it's very dear to me."

For a long moment, they went back to silence, but it wasn't as heavy as it was earlier, and Arthur was glad for it. He observed him silently a moment longer. Meta certainly was very different from the rest of the Star Warriors he had met at HQ. Star Warriors were naturally strong, enduring and physically enhanced in comparison to normal soldiers, but, even now, at such a young age, he felt this boy was ten times stronger than the normal Star Warrior. It was no wonder Arthur had chosen him as his hero! It was truly a shame that he had doubts about joining them… Truly a shame… And here he had hoped that maybe one day, he would have been able to fight alongside his hero…

"Are…"

Arthur blinked, surprised to hear his voice, and listened. Meta wasn't looking at him, but was instead staring straight ahead, making Arthur turn his head to see what he was looking at. From this spot, they had a magnificent view of the whole Hollow. Individual lights from every house and lamp post in the town looked like immobile fireflies, and the light of the moon shone down directly through the Eye and into the lake, filling its immobile and sleeping surface with thousands of glimmering diamonds. Such a pretty view… Meta and Galacta were very lucky to be able to grow in such a peaceful place…

"Aren't you… scared of the nightmare?"

Arthur didn't answer for a long, thoughtful time, repeating these words in his mind to try and make sense out of them. Scared of the nightmare? What could he mean by that? The young lad hummed slightly, setting his back on the window sill behind him.

"I don't… really know what having a nightmare feels like," he answered slowly. "After all, Star Warriors don't have nightmares."

He marked a pause here, during which Meta didn't speak again, waiting for him to finish what he started. Arthur slightly squinted his eyes.

"However, I gotta say I'm pretty scared of Nightmare himself… As Lady Harkim's apprentice, I have front seats to all the horrors that he does to stars and their inhabitants. I've spoken with people who were terribly scarred and traumatized by what they saw, both in reality and in dreams… I'm just… scared that Nightmare'll reach me and will corrupt my dreams… and make me a demon-beast…"

Arthur looked back toward him, making Meta stare back as well, and the older of the two smirked a bit, eyes glowing a bit more in a reassuring manner.

"But you know, when I look at you, I'm not really that scared."

Meta looked surprised, and Arthur gave a shy giggle, playing with his hands, timid and nervous.

"I just feel tons more hopeful when I look at you," he said. "It's like the stars themselves are down here with me! I don't know, it just makes me feel good inside… like I can do anything, you know? I think… I think it's a real shame that there are people out there who don't see that in you and just… see you as some sort of weapon. I mean, sure, your abilities are amazing and I'd love to see more, but… there's just so much more than that…"

With wide eyes, Meta slowly turned his head and looked down at his book, still not giving any kind of verbal answer. Even though, Arthur could tell that he had struck a cord there.

"If you don't mind me asking…," he continued, trailing off a bit before looking back up toward him. "How did… you learn that they… saw you as such? A weapon?"

The younger boy closed his eyes half-way, as if recalling previous events and memories, and his aura became heavier, slightly.

"I learned… my 'fate', on my fiftieth birthday," Meta spoke with a low voice, very quiet. "Since then, the Galaxy Soldier Army has been monitoring me day in and day out. I never feel like no one's watching me, you know. There's always a pair of eyes somewhere… Every now and then, representatives of your master come here, at least once a year, and they list everything I can do and everything I've learned, like I'm some sort of animal to catalogue… When I discovered my Copy Abilities, it became worse. Everyone, especially those of the GSA, saw the potential, and then… I wasn't just me anymore. I'm just a tool for them to use to win this war…"

The blue boy scoffed and looked away.

"No one really cares about how I feel about all this. They keep saying I'll 'save the world' and 'vanquish Nightmare', while all I really want to think about is what I'm going to do tomorrow. Vanquish Nightmare…"

Slowly, he shook his head, his eyes squinting and glinting with a mix of powerful, unspoken emotions.

"This is… too much to ask…"

He turned back to face him, and to Arthur's surprise, his eyes shone a deep purple colour, for a few, short seconds, before reverting to their normal, glowing white. He gave a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes with a hand, asking:

"Do you still think I'm that good of an inspiration? I don't even want to fight for the cause…"

Arthur marked a pause then, thinking about his words. It didn't take him long to draw a passionate inspiration from these words and smile, warmly.

"Yeah, I still think so," he answered, receiving a doubtful gaze in response. "Maybe that's what you lack; a cause. It doesn't have to be vanquishing Nightmare or ending the war. All it has to be is something that you hold dear to your heart. For example, I joined because I wanted to make a difference. I grew up in a place where Kiridans are hated as a race, and, even though I know I don't have anything to prove to anybody, I still have to prove it to myself. That's why I'm fighting, for now. All this cause of yours needs to be, is yours only, and it just needs to come from your heart."

Meta remained quiet for a moment. A cause? Maybe… he was right. He didn't have a cause yet, at least he couldn't think of one off the top of his head.

"Even if you don't find one now," Arthur continued, "it'll come. Just give it time. You get what I mean?"

Slowly, the younger Star Warrior nodded his head.

"Yeah… I think I get it…"

Then, Arthur chuckled and looked away shyly, and Meta noticed a clear blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Also, I guess I joined because I wanted to be like you, or at least how I imagined you to be. Like I said, you were my hero!"

Meta gave a soft laugh.

"You're still on that hero thing? I'm not a hero yet, I haven't fought any demon-beast or gone on any mission yet. I'm pretty sure I'm not as skilled as you are."

Arthur shrugged, that same smile still stuck to his goofy face, and Meta found it to be contagious.

"Doesn't matter, I still look up to you! At least, here, let's make a promise!"

The green lad turned his body toward the blue boy, who turned as well, giving him a quizzical look. Arthur held out his hand with a big, happy smile.

"If you ever join the GSA, let's be friends! What do you say?"

Meta remained quiet for a moment longer. Friends…? _Real_ friends? Somehow, that thought sounded just right in his ears, and he couldn't help but smile right back at him. He held out his hand and took his into his own, smirking.

"Alright, then. I don't guarantee that I'll join, but if and when I do, let's be friends. I'm… sorry about my attitude earlier, too. I guess I was just…"

He pouted, his cousin's words echoing in his head and relating a bit too much with how he was.

"A little bitch," he finished, morose.

Arthur laughed out loud, sending his wings upward and beating them a bit, and he waved his hand dismissively.

"Hahaha! No worries, friend!"

Immediately after speaking those words, he squealed and brought his hands to his face, exclaiming:

"HEEE! I'm friends with Meta!"

Meta could only smile. His first, real friend, one he truly felt was right… Maybe that alone could be a good reason to join the cause, he thought.

* * *

And as the two boys walked back inside the manor through Meta's window, a shadow watched from afar, unseen in the night. Its slitted, glowing eyes squinted in a strange mix of delight and disgust. Soon… It just needed to wait for the Master's orders, and soon, it could spring into action… Just… a little bit… more time… To wait for an opening, for the perfect time to strike… Soon, the boy would be ready for the test, and the Bishop could not wait for that time to come. Soon… Soon…


End file.
